Main opposition CHP challenges ruling AKP with charter articles

ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

If consensus reached on 59, 60 or 65 articles we will accept, says Kılıçdaroğlu. AA photo

Acceding to a call by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu voiced his party’s readiness to vote at Parliament on the 59 articles that have received the consensus of the four parties in the Constitution Conciliation Commission.

Kılıçdaroğlu, speaking to reporters on Oct. 5, was reminded of Erdoğan’s remarks delivered early last week. Erdoğan said his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was so “reconciliatory” that it was ready for the parliamentary adoption of the 59 articles, while the opposition was always creating excuses and was merely buying time.

“If the parties represented at the Parliament reaches consensus on 59, 60 or 65 articles and brings them to the floor then we will accept them,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, noting that there is already consensus on the 59 articles.

“The problem here is that the [ruling Justice and Development Party] AKP is not sincere,” he added, recalling that the AKP still does not want to withdraw its presidential system proposal, although the CHP made clear they would be able to reach consensus on more articles in such case. “Mr. Prime Minister each time [says] ‘Bring it, we have agreed, let’s accept it.’ And we say ‘Go ahead, bring it, we are sincere.” Kılıçdaroğlu, meanwhile, dubbed 10 percent of the electoral threshold as the most serious problem in front of reaching democracy in Turkey.
“Let them bring it [to the Parliament.] We would agree to make it 3 or 5, whatever they say. If they say it could be dropped altogether, then we will drop it altogether,” he said, while, however, warning that this would be possible only if Erdoğan does not, “follow an ambivalent policy and enter a quest of to see how he can steal votes and appropriate them for his party.”