Thousands in Rare Istanbul Rally for Kurdish Candidate

Thousands of people on Sunday turned out for a mass rally in support of the Kurdish candidate in Turkey's presidential elections, in a rare large-scale show of Kurdish nationalism in the center of Istanbul.

Some 10,000 people rallied by the shores of the Bosphorus in Kadikoy, the main hub of the Asian side of Istanbul, for the address by Kurdish candidate Selahattin Demirtas.

Many waved flags with the face of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that waged a deadly insurgency against the Turkish authorities in southeast Turkey for years.

Others waved banners with Demirtas' main slogan for the August 10 polls: "For democratic change, for peace."

"For years, they have tried to make enemies out of us so that we don't stand side by side," Demirtas told the cheering crowds.

"The presidency will provide an opportunity to create a wind of change so all the oppressed can stand together."

Demirtas is expected to trail in third place in the polls, behind Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the premier's main rival Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

But Demirtas' levels of support could be crucial in determining if the poll goes to a second round run-off on August 24.

"Demirtas has shown that the Kurdish struggle can become something much bigger than a minority group's right for recognition and be exemplary for democracy in Turkey," said Figen Dursun, a 45-year-old Kurdish woman.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by Erdogan has moved in the last years to grant greater rights to Kurds, Turkey's largest ethnic minority, and is also actively courting their votes.

Turkey for years feared the creation of an independent Kurdistan but in recent years has formed strong ties with the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.

Such a large demonstration of Kurdish nationalism in the center of Istanbul would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. The rally was marked by a party atmosphere with Kurdish songs and dancing.

Demirtas, who was nominated by the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), is hoping to expand his support base to attract left-wing secular Turks tired of the traditional opposition to the Islamic-rooted AKP.

Some of the participants at the rally waved the rainbow flag of the gay rights movement.

"If all the poor, gays, women, the workers can hold each other's hands, continue to believe in each other and continue to multiply, no dictator can stand against us," he said.