Now seems public: Öcalan criticizes Demirtaş

Abdullah Öcalan stated that Selahattin Demirtaş’s famous 2015 slogan “Seni başkan yaptırmayacağız” (“We will not let you become president”) was a mistake.turkiyekhabar+3

Details of Öcalan’s Comments

Öcalan criticized Demirtaş’s choice to use the slogan so directly against Erdoğan, saying it was an unnecessary move and a strategic error. He noted that there was no need to “turn it into such a direct slogan” and that confronting Erdoğan in such a way was not the right approach for the movement’s goals. Öcalan emphasized that his objective was not personally about preventing Erdoğan from becoming president, and he advocated for focusing on broader democratic alliances and expanding the movement instead.yuksekovahalkinsesigazetesi+2

Broader Context

Öcalan also suggested that Demirtaş and his colleague Sırrı Süreyya Önder had made this mistake together, and that the approach risked narrowing HDP’s political strategy rather than broadening its influence within Turkish politics. He advised instead that the party should have focused on widening its democratic front and working toward more general alliances.haber.sol+2