Imprisoned Kurdish Leader Selahattin Demirtaş Sends Handwritten Message of Support to Sweden’s Social Democrats Ahead of September Election

Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of Turkey’s Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) who remains detained in Edirne Cezaevi, has sent a handwritten message of goodwill to Sweden’s Social Democratic Party ahead of that country’s nationwide elections. The letter, addressed specifically to Social Democratic leader and former prime minister Magdalena Andersson and to Stockholm parliamentary candidate Kadir Kasirga, expresses hope for the party’s success and emphasizes the importance of diaspora participation in the vote.

In his message, Demirtaş wrote in Turkish and offered his greetings to those of Turkish origin living in Sweden, predicting they would take an active role in the elections. The full text of his note was published by the Turkish outlet and reads: "Sayın Magdalena Andersson Sayın Kadir Kasırga

Eylül ayında İsveç’te yapılacak olan seçimlerde şahsınızda tüm partililerinize ve demokrasiye inanmış dostlara başarılar diliyorum.

Eminim ki Türkiye’li dostlarımız seçimlere büyük ilgi gösterecek ve sandığa giderek demokrasiye katkı sunacaklardır.

Bu vesileyle İsveç’te yaşayan, yaşamak durumunda kalan herkese içten selam, sevgilerimi gönderiyor, seçim sonuçlarının hayırlı olmasını diliyorum.

Özgür yarınlarda görüşmek dileğiyle, dostlukla..."

Kadir Kasirga, whom Demirtaş named in his note, is running again for the Riksdag on the Social Democrats’ Stockholm list in fifth position. Kasirga arrived in Sweden at age 15 with his family and entered politics following years of work and trade union activism; he currently serves as a Social Democratic member of the Swedish Parliament. Demirtaş’s message highlights the political ties and concerns of Turkey-origin communities in Sweden and signals an effort to encourage their turnout ahead of the vote.

Sweden is scheduled to hold parliamentary, regional and municipal elections on 13 September 2026. According to the election details cited in the original report, 8,046,725 people are eligible to vote in the parliamentary contest, which will determine the composition of the 349-seat Riksdag. The Swedish parliament currently includes eight parties, and the vote is widely framed as a contest between the Social Democrats, led by Andersson, and the incumbent coalition led by Moderate Party leader and current prime minister Ulf Kristersson.

Kristersson’s governing coalition is composed of the Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, and it relies in parliament on the support of the Sweden Democrats, led by Jimmie Åkesson. The Swedish system does not directly elect a prime minister; instead the speaker of the new parliament proposes a candidate for approval by Riksdag members following the election. Parties must secure at least 4 percent of the national vote to enter parliament.

Demirtaş’s outreach from prison comes amid ongoing international attention to his detention and raises questions about the role of prominent political prisoners in transnational political discourse. While the message was conciliatory and focused on democratic participation and greetings to residents of Sweden, it also underscores how Turkey’s domestic political figures continue to engage with diaspora communities and foreign political debates even while detained.

The letter will likely be read in multiple contexts: as a personal expression of solidarity with Social Democrats and Turkey-origin voters in Sweden; as a symbolic intervention by a well-known opposition figure detained in Turkey; and as a reminder of the broader human rights issues surrounding political imprisonment. Observers of both Turkish politics and diaspora engagement will be watching turnout among Turkey-origin Swedes and the potential influence of cross-border political messages in the run-up to the 13 September elections.