Turkish veteran pollster deems efforts to bring İYİ Party and HDP together futile

Duvar English

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Gürsel Tekin on Sept. 4 said that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) might be given a ministry if the alliance of six opposition parties wins the upcoming elections.

The alliance includes the CHP, İYİ (Good) Party, Felicity Party, Democrat Party, DEVA Party and Future Party, but excludes the HDP  

CHP MP Gürsel’s remarks were refuted by the party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and drew ire among the center-right İYİ (Good) Party politicians. İYİ Party MP Yavuz Ağıralioğlu reacted by saying, “Who have you asked for this? We would not consent to this,” while İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener said that her party “will not sit at a table where the HDP is present.”

HDP group deputy chair Meral Danış Beştaş commented on the issue, saying that the HDP “has not entered into any negotiations for a ministry and does not have an approach other than what it has previously announced."

“Despite this, we would want to hear how those who try to insult the HDP members through fake discussions and ugly language will embrace the society and run the country,” she said.  

Özer Sencar, the founder and CEO of the MetroPoll polling company, weighed in the discussion on Sept. 7, saying that it would not be possible for the İYİ Party and HDP to work together.

“Trying to bring together the İYİ Party and HDP together in order to be successful in the elections is a waste of time. Going to the elections with a candidate whom all of the fractions of society would vote for would solve the problem,” Sencar tweeted.  

In response to Sencar’s tweet, one social media user commented, “That person is definitely not (former President) Abdullah Gül,” to which the pollster wrote, “Definitely not.”