Turkey’s presidential election offers a key opportunity for the Kurdish minority to exert pressure on the Turkish government

Turkey held its first ever direct presidential election on 10 August 2014. Cengiz Gunes writes on the role of the country’s Kurdish minority in the vote. He argues that while Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a strong favourite to win the election, with the pro-Kurdish candidate Selahattin Demirtaş only likely to claim third place, the Kurdish support base could be crucial if the election goes to a second round of voting. This could allow the Kurdish population to leverage their influence over Erdoğan‘s government and potentially gain political concessions

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Turkish presidential election, 2014 http://www.europeansources.info/record/turkish-presidential-election-2014/

ESO: Background information: European court chides Turkey over Kurd leader Ocalan http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-court-chides-turkey-over-kurd-leader-ocalan/

ESO: Background information: The Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process Stalled in Neutral http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-turkish-kurdish-peace-process-stalled-in-neutral/

Blog: E-International Relations: Articles, 10.08.14: Turkish Presidential Elections and the Kurdish Peace Process http://www.e-ir.info/2014/08/10/turkish-presidential-elections-and-the-kurdish-peace-process/

---