Our nominees embrace all society, says Turkish main opposition CHP head

Having presented the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) list of candidates to run for parliament in the June 7 elections, CHP head Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu has said the party has prepared a comprehensive list embracing all Turkish society, including women, disabled people and ethnic minority candidates.

"At a time when the government has divided society, we have initiated a process that embraces all parts of society," said K?l?çdaro?lu.

He added that Selina Özuzun Do?an, who is a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin and is the CHP's top nominee from Istanbul's second election area, shared an important message with the world through her candidacy.

"Do?an's candidacy is an important message for the world. We do not want division in this society. We want to grow and develop together," said K?l?çdaro?lu, adding that "the CHP accepted any kind of meaning" attributed to Do?an's candidacy on the centenary of the 1915 killings of Ottoman Armenians.

Özcan Purcu, who is a representative from Turkey's Roma community, is also among the nominees CHP presented from ?zmir. K?l?çdaro?lu said that if he is elected, Purcu will become the first ethnic Roma person to be represented at the Turkish parliament.

By nominating ethnic minority candidates to run for parliament, the CHP has once again opened the doors to minorities as CHP deputies for the first time in 69 years, when Greek origin deputy Nikola Fakaçelli was elected to parliament in 1946.

103 women candidates

A total of 103 women candidates were listed in the CHP's deputy nominees, with female candidates taking the top places of the lists in eleven provinces, including Ankara, ?stanbul and  ?zmir. In Istanbul, eight women from the second, seven women from...