Turkey’s pro-Kurd party to back main Erdogan rival at polls

Turkey’s largest non-aligned political party is planning to throw its weight behind an opposition alliance trying to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in elections in May, intensifying what’s become one of the biggest tests of his two decades in power.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, is prepared to back the main opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, according to people familiar with the matter. The HDP is Turkey’s leading pro-Kurdish party and has been an important factor in past elections. Its decision would be a major boost for an opposition alliance that has struggled to mount an effective campaign.

The HDP will hold talks with Kilicdaroglu in the coming days and is expected to announce its support, the people said, declining to be named because the discussions are private.