A special commission set up to select candidates to replace Demirtas and the party’s other co-leader Serpil Kemalbay has completed its task.

According to Hurriyet daily news the commission has decided to pick Buldan as a candidate to replace Demirtas, who has already said he would not nominate himself for the party’s leadership.

Demirtas was arrested on Nov. 4, 2016 along with 10 other HDP members as part of an investigation on terror allegations.

The first hearing of the case was finally held after 13 months of pre-trial detention in December 2017, with the prosecutors demanding up to 142 years in jail for “leadership of a terrorist organization,” “membership of a terrorist organization” and “inciting people to hatred and animosity.”

The special commission has not made a final decision on possible candidates to replace Kemalbay, but the party’s current co-deputy leaders Sezai Temelli and Saruhan Oluc have emerged as frontrunners.

The HDP is expected to announce the names of candidates on Feb. 7 or Feb. 8.

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