Court Freezes Pro-Kurdish HDP Funding In Major Blow Ahead Of Election

Earlier today, Turkey's Constitutional Court passed a ruling that will see significant funding to the pro-Kurdish minority People's Democratic Party (HDP) suspended just months before the country's general election. The Court is also set to deliver a ruling on a motion from prosecutors seeking to ban the party entirely ahead of the election that must take place by mid-June at the latest.

• Political parties receive regular financial aid from the gov't, which is tripled in election years. The Court backed a ruling freezing funds due to alleged links between the HDP and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is recognised as a terrorist group by Ankara, the US, and the EU.
• While difficult economic conditions have contributed to a decline in support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his right-wing Justice & Development Party (AKP), Turkey's political opposition remains disorganised and divided meaning that the election remains something of a toss-up.
• The presence of the HDP or similar Kurdish-interest party on the ballot is the only way to get a sizeable section of the electorate into polling stations (the HDP sits as the third-largest party in parliament). If the party were barred from running for parliament or offering its support to a joint opposition presidential candidate it would deal a massive blow to the prospect of Erdogan losing power in the summer.