Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has not ruled out forming an alliance with the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the 2019 general and presidential elections.
According to reports, Kılıçdaroğlu did not provide a thorough answer to a question about possible alliance efforts of his party with the HDP. Explaining that the CHP may make alliances with any party that comes together with his party around the same principles, Kılıçdaroğlu said: "You never know, we may come to terms [with the HDP] on some issues and we may not on some. "Therefore, every party determines certain principles and values in line with themselves. We will see later on what these principles are and which party would adapt them."
Kılıçdaroğlu also commented on CHP Deputy Chairman Öztürk Yılmaz's visit to imprisoned former HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş. He said that he gave permission to Yılmaz and that he told the deputy chairman to convey his greetings to Demirtaş.
CHP spokesman Bülent Tezcan said in a televised interview on Monday that the CHP is currently not holding talks with other parties concerning certain figures. "Our chairman previously mentioned an alliance of principles. The principles must be determined first," Tezcan said.
Recent reports contend that the CHP is considering forming an alliance for a possible second round of the 2019 presidential election and will probably enter the general elections without an alliance. CHP sources have said that the majority of CHP deputies are in favor of forming an alliance for the second round of the presidential election if no candidate is elected in the first round.
Kılıçdaroğlu's remarks about not ruling out an alliance with the HDP drew fire from some. HDP politicians have long been accused of voicing support for the PKK terrorist group as well as glorifying suicide bombers, inciting violence and hatred and providing assistance to terrorists.
On Jan. 27, 2015, many grenades, radios, rifles, guns and bullets were found by police in searches conducted in a house in the Ceylanpınar district of Şanlıurfa province. It was found that HDP Şırnak Deputy Faysal Sarıyıldız had intended to send the weapons to the PKK's Syrian affiliate People's Protection Units (YPG) and had driven to Ceylanpınar in a vehicle he bought off two suspects and then registered it in his name.
Another HDP deputy, Tuba Hezer, attended the funeral on Sept. 1, 2015 of a suicide bomber who perpetrated a Ankara car bombing on Feb. 17, 2015 that killed dozens of people, most of them civilians, and wounded 61. Also, many HDP-run municipalities have been caught helping the PKK. A Municipality of Van truck, for example, was found carrying illegal materials used for bomb making bound for terrorists in August 2015. There are still nine HDP deputies in prison while dozens of HDP regional affiliate Democratic Regions Party (DBP) mayors have been imprisoned on charges of aiding and abetting the PKK.