CHP vows to come to power with ‘friends’ as it celebrates 97th year

ANKARA

The opposition alliance will come to power in the next elections as Turkey has entered a new process, the head of the main opposition has vowed as his Republican People’s Party (CHP) has celebrated its 97th anniversary.

“We will come to power with our friends and we will save Turkey from this recession,” CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said at a ceremony held at the headquarters in Ankara on Sept. 9.

The friends that Kılıçdaroğlu was referring to are the components of the Nation Alliance made by the CHP, the İYİ (Good) Party, the Felicity (Saadet) Party and the Democrat Party (DP). The alliance is hoping to expand with the inclusion of the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) of Ali Babacan and the Future Party by Ahmet Davutoğlu, both former prominent members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“In maximum five years, we will reconstruct Turkey as a respected country which has solved its problems,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Turkey has to get ready for its second centennial by 2023 but the current government has no such vision, he said. “We have already declared our declaration for the second centennial. In brief, it underlines a strong developed Turkey who is devoted to peace at home and in the world.”

The main opposition is committed to come to power in a bid to reconstruct Turkey and the works of the CHP municipalities are just an example of the service the main opposition will deliver when it comes to power, Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Also recalling that the CHP could not come to power for a long time and the blame should be placed on the members of the CHP and not the voters, he said, “We will work very hard and travel the whole country village by village. We will explain our policies and we will listen to their criticisms about us.”

The CHP leader said nobody is exempted from criticisms and the CHP is not an exception, saying, “Haven’t we committed mistakes? Yes, we have. We will draw lessons from our mistakes and we will extend our vision to the second centennial of the Turkish Republic.”