More than 100 arrests in Turkey – politicians also hit

Nearly three weeks before presidential and parliamentary elections, 110 people were arrested in Turkey for alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Among them are senior officials of the pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP, state news agency Anadolu reported on Tuesday. An HDP spokesman told the German news agency that deputy chairman Özlem Gündüz and other party members had been arrested.

Recent polls suggest that pro-Kurdish voters could play a vital role in the May 14 vote.

Specifically, there were police raids in 21 provinces, Anadolu reported. The prosecutor’s office in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır accuses the suspects of providing financial support to the PKK and engaging in terrorist propaganda. The Diyarbakır Bar Association said on Twitter that journalists and lawyers were among those arrested.

A tight result is expected in the elections on 14 May. Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the CHP has a good chance of replacing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after 20 years in power, according to polls.

Since the introduction of a presidential system in 2018, the president has had far-reaching powers, but parliament has been weakened. The HDP is the second largest opposition party in parliament. Erdogan accuses the HDP of being an extension of the PKK, which is banned in Turkey, the EU and the US. The HDP denies this allegation. (oee/sda/dpa)