ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish lawmakers debated legislation Tuesday to restart a stalled peace process with the Kurdish rebels — a development that could also help Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan win Kurdish votes as he seeks election as president next month.

Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than a decade, declared last week that he’s running for president. Votes from Kurds — who make up an estimated 20 percent of Turkey’s 76 million people — would be key to achieving his ambition of becoming Turkey’s first directly elected head of state.