Former HDP co-chair calls on opposition to hold joint rallies to urge Turkish gov't to resign

Former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş has called on the opposition to hold joint rallies to urge the government to resign in the face of the economic crisis.

Wednesday November 24 2021 12:33 pm

Duvar English

Former Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş has called on the opposition parties to hold joint rallies across Turkey to urge the government to resign in the face of the economic crisis.

Demirtaş, who has been imprisoned since Nov. 4, 2016, on Nov. 23 asked the opposition whether something was holding them back.

"Is there an obstacle facing the opposition leaders to hold a joint press conference to call on the government to resign or hold seven joint rallies in seven regions to ask for early elections immediately?" Demirtaş asked.

"When if not now?" he also asked.

Hiç değilse Meclis'te temsil edilen muhalefet partilerinin genel başkanlarının, ortak bir basın toplantısıyla hükümeti istifaya çağırmalarının ve yedi bölgede yedi ortak miting yaparak halkla birlikte derhal seçim istemelerinin önünde bir engel mi var? Bugün değilse ne zaman?
— Selahattin Demirtaş (@hdpdemirtas) November 24, 2021

Turkey's lira clawed back some losses on Nov. 24 after a 15% crash to record lows a day earlier driven by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's defence of rate cuts, but volatility and steep price rises still worried consumers and investors.

The lira has hit new all-time lows for 11 consecutive sessions and its losses against the dollar this year stand at 40%, with a 19% decline since the beginning of last week alone.

Opposition parties have been holding meetings to find a solution to the economic crisis, as people late on Nov. 23 took to the streets to protest the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).