Brother of PKK's urban wing leader to run in Turkish local elections

GAZİANTEP / ŞANLIURFA

The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) named Diyarbakır mayor Osman Baydemir as its Şanlıurfa candidate for next year’s local elections. DAILY NEWS photo

The brother of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) urban wing leader will run in the Turkish local elections, Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) announced on Dec. 26.

Bozan Karayılan, the brother of Murat Karayılan, the former leader of the PKK and newly appointed leader of its armed wing, the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), will run as a candidate in the Şehitkamil district of the southern province of Gaziantep.

The announcement came on the day when BDP was announcing its candidates in eastern and southeastern provinces for the March 30, 2014, local elections.

The party named independent deputy Ahmet Türk as its Mardin candidate, while Diyarbakır mayor Osman Baydemir will run in Şanlıurfa at next year’s local elections. 


BDP names Diyarbakır mayor Baydemir as Şanlıurfa candidate 

The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) named Diyarbakır mayor Osman Baydemir as its Şanlıurfa candidate for next year’s local elections.

Baydemir has been holding the southeastern province’s mayoral seat for the last two terms after winning the elections in 2004, when he was the deputy chairman of the Human Rights Association (İHD).

The BDP has already named its co-chair Gültan Kışanak as its Diyarbakır candidate for the local elections on March 30, 2014.

The BDP co-chair Selattin Demirtaş is expected to announce the party’s provincial and district candidates for Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Batman, Bingöl, Tunceli, Elazığ, Konya, Mardin, Mersin, Siirt, Şırnak and Şanlıurfa today.