In Turkey, the main pro-Kurdish left party, the DEM, organized a large gathering this Sunday March 17 in Istanbul for the Nowrouz festival, which celebrates the arrival of spring. Two weeks before the municipal election, the votes of the movement’s voters are particularly coveted, particularly in the economic capital of the country.
2 mins
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer
In Istanbul, the outgoing opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu needs a large part of DEM voters to vote for him, in order to win against the ruling candidate. The pro-Kurdish party chose to present its own candidate. At the time of choice, DEM voters are divided.
Dressed in a traditional khaki costume, Ümit, a voter from the pro-Kurdish party, does not even ask himself the question: since his party presents a candidate in Istanbul, he will vote for her. “ We don’t have to stay stuck between power and the opposition, we are not here to make someone win or lose! We must show our strength “, he said.
The mayor of Istanbul
In 2019, it was partly thanks to the support of the pro-Kurdish party that Ekrem Imamoglu, the current mayor, won the vote against the ruling candidate. This year, the opposition is divided. But to win again, Mr. Imamoglu needs enough voters from other opposition parties to vote for him, not their party’s candidate.
This is precisely what Erdal, a DEM voter, intends to do: “ I will vote for Imamoglu. This is a subject of debate among party activists, but we all know that our candidate cannot win and that if the government regains Istanbul, it will be even worse. »
Zeynep, 20, is undecided. If she finally votes for Ekrem Imamoglu, it will not be with joy of heart. “ I hesitate because I know all the harm that power can do. But Ekrem Imamoglu does not seem sincere to me. He cares about the Kurds and only starts saying words in Kurdish when there are elections “, she believes.
Within the pro-Kurdish party, debates between voters on the attitude to adopt will last until election day, March 31.
Read alsoTürkiye: the pro-Kurdish party presents a candidate for mayor of Istanbul