CHP leader says he expects early polls in fall

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu reiterated his argument that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will call for snap elections set for next fall.

“I think there will be an election in the fall,” he said, speaking to TV100 broadcaster on Feb. 4.

Kılıçdaroğlu suggested that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would not prefer to go to the polls just after winter. He also claimed that the government will “provoke” the opposition and citizens to take to the streets.

“My call to citizens: Be prudent, they will provoke you to go out on the streets,” he stated.

The president should embrace the 84 million people [Turkey’s population] and respect people’s beliefs, the CHP leader said and criticized Erdoğan for “talking 24 hours a day.”

The president is the insurance of the state, he said and added, “He resolves the debates between political parties, opens the [legislative year] of the parliament and gives speeches embracing everyone at that opening. He ensures that the country is governed with justice. This should not be what you call a president.”

Kılıçdaroğlu frequently expresses that he expects early elections in the fall. Yet Erdoğan, AKP officials, along with his ally the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) underline that the elections will be held in the scheduled time, in 2023.