Main opposition leader urges snap elections in fall

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (MHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said Turkey must hold general elections in the fall, before the scheduled time in 2023.

“Can a state be governed like this? They must go to the election. The election should be in the fall,” he said on March 26, speaking to private broadcaster Fox TV.

He also criticized the ruling party’s congresses amid the increasing number of novel coronavirus cases in Turkey.

“We did not hold such a convention. We respected our people. Only our delegates came, we created separate halls for journalists. We did whatever was necessary for health,” he said and accused the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of not “valuing” people.

The CHP leader blamed the AKP for holding crowded congress despite the pandemic but fining a total of 254,000 citizens on the streets due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“We will come to power with the support of the people. Within the first week we will refund the money of 254,000 people who were fined,” he stated.

Elaborating on the closure case against the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Kılıçdaroğlu reiterated that his party is against the dissolution of political parties, neither the HDP nor others.

If the HDP has “wrongful” acts, the CHP will express that, he noted.

The government wants to spark disagreement among the opposition parties, he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu noted that the CHP is in alliance with the Democrat Party, Felicity (Saadet) Party and İYİ (Good) Party, but not allies with the HDP.