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Thousands expected to protest in Turkey in support of jailed presidential challenger

RALLIES will be held in the Turkish cities of Istanbul and Diyarbakir tomorrow in support of pro-Kurdish presidential challenger Selahattin Demirtas, who is being held in jail on widely criticised terror charges.

Thousands of people are expected at the events, which follow the announcement by Mr Demirtas’s People’s Democratic Party (HDP) that  he will challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next month’s snap election.

Mr Demirtas has been in detention since being arrested during a wave of nationwide police raids in November 2016. He faces a 142-year prison sentence if convicted of having links to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, which he denies.

His most recent hearing has been postponed until June 9, just weeks before the poll.

Mr Demirtas stood down as co-leader of the HDP in January, saying he could not effectively hold the position from his prison cell.

In a statement, new HDP leaders Pervin Buldan and Sezai Temelli urged supporters to join tomorrow’s campaign launch.

“We are coming together to share our joy in Selahattin Demirtas’s candidacy for president. We can already see a bright future,” they said.

Yesterday, four opposition groupings — the Republican People’s Party, Good Party, Felicity Party and Democratic Party — announced a coalition called the Nation Alliance.

However, HDP parliamentary spokeswoman Filiz Kerestecioglu criticised them for forming “a coalition that excludes HDP.”

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) formally announced Mr Erdogan as its candidate today as he seeks to tighten his authoritarian grip on the country.

The June 24 poll will be held under new rules introduced after a constitutional referendum last year. The changes concentrate unprecedented power in the hands of the president, including the right to dissolve parliament and rule by decree.

Many observers accused Mr Erdogan of bringing in “fascism via the ballot box.”

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