Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expanded the number of political parties affiliated with his “People’s Alliance” to include a far-right Islamist party: Huda Par, a religiously conservative Kurdish political party. Huda Par is an extremist entity linked to Turkish Hezbollah. While not affiliated with the Lebanese equivalent, Turkish Hezbollah retains links to Iran. It is widely perceived to be a sponsor of terrorism, and its leaders are on record for stating their belief that “Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization.”

Recently confirming presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on May 14, Erdogan has realized that his presidential reelection bid is trailing the opposition. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the opposition Nation Alliance’s candidate for president, is apparently leading Erdogan by 10 percentage points in the polls. Furthermore, it appears as though the pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party, or HDP, which is not a part of the opposition alliance, will also back Kilicdaroglu’s candidacy. This is a major problem for Erdogan, as the support of Kurdish voters could land Kilicdaroglu the presidency in the first round of voting.