At least six people have been wounded in two concurrent explosions at the regional headquarters of a pro-Kurdish party in Turkey’s southern cities of Adana and Mersin, a source says.
On Monday, six people were injured after an explosion hit the office of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) in Adana, a party official told AFP, adding that three of the wounded are in critical condition.
The second blast happened in Mersin when a flower bouquet sent to the party office blew up, the official said, noting that there were no casualties.
The motives of the explosions, which occurred in the run up to Turkey’s June 7 legislative elections, are still unknown. The co-chairman of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtas, was scheduled to address a rally in Mersin later on Monday.
The incidents mark the latest in a series of raids against HDP offices across Turkey. HDP officials say the party has been the target of over 50 attacks, including attempts to target 16 election bureaus, in the past month across Turkey.
In April, unknown attackers opened fire on the HDP headquarters in the capital, Ankara, with no casualties. The government denounced the raid as a blow to Turkey’s democracy and stability.
Tensions have been running high ahead of the June elections as the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trying to bring more lawmakers into Turkey’s legislative chamber to succeed in making its long-promised changes in the country’s constitution. That would mean an upper hand in almost all administrative and security issues for incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Opposition parties have repeatedly warned that the measure would turn Turkey into a dictatorship.
Erdogan’s aspirations could be seriously hampered, however, as HDP has vowed to block the move if it wins more than 10 percent of the votes and gains a direct representation in the parliament.
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