2018 Selahattin Demirtaş presidential campaign
Selahattin Demirtaş was officially announced as the candidate of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) on 4 May 2018, after members of the party had hinted at his candidacy weeks in advance. Party leader Pervin Buldan declared that Demirtaş, a jailed former co-chair of the HDP, would be leading a five-party "Kurdish alliance" into the general election.[1]
Campaigned for | 2018 Turkish presidential election |
---|---|
Candidate | Selahattin Demirtaş Former chairman of the HDP (2014-2018) Presidential candidate for the 2014 presidential election (2014) The former leader of the BDP (2010-2014) |
Affiliation | HDP[lower-alpha 1] |
Status | Announced 25 Apr 2018 Official nominee 4 May 2018 |
Program
- Defending “No” for the 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum
- More Minority and Women’s rights
- Building a country without Capitalism
- The support of Turkish membership of the European Union
Foreign policy
On European Union–Turkey relations, Demirtaş is known for his long-time support for Turkey’s EU accession process, focusing on the pledge to uphold human rights, local democracy, separation of powers and the rule of law as the main tenets of his future presidency. He distinguishes himself from other candidates in his unwavering criticism of what he sees as Brussels's neo-liberal economic agenda.[2]
Election Result
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Justice and Development Party | 26,330,823 | 52.59 | |
Muharrem İnce | Republican People's Party | 15,340,321 | 30.64 | |
Selahattin Demirtaş | Peoples' Democratic Party | 4,205,794 | 8.40 | |
Meral Akşener | Good Party | 3,649,030 | 7.29 | |
Temel Karamollaoğlu | Felicity Party | 443,704 | 0.89 | |
Doğu Perinçek | Patriotic Party | 98,955 | 0.20 | |
Total | 50,068,627 | 100.00 | ||
Valid votes | 50,068,627 | 97.79 | ||
Invalid/blank votes | 1,129,332 | 2.21 | ||
Total votes | 51,197,959 | 100.00 | ||
Registered voters/turnout | 59,367,469 | 86.24 | ||
Source: YSK |
Party Representation
Notes
- Supported by the left-wing political parties and groups of the HDK
References
- "HDP nominates imprisoned former leader Demirtaş for presidency". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- Doğa Ulaş Eralp (30 May 2018). "What do Turkey's other presidential candidates think about the EU?". Ahval. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2018.