No intention to form a coalition

All the representatives of the political parties said the day after the election that they “got the message of the people.”

When they said so, this is what we understood:

They are open to compromise to form a government. They can form a government by agreeing among each other. That way, Turkey will leave behind a long period of tension and contention.

I have compiled what you will read below from published news over the weekend.

Let’s read it together.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç:

“We understood why this [election outcome] was so. Now it falls upon us to do what’s necessary. To be in government alone whenever there will be snap elections. The Justice and Development Party [AKP] deserves to be in government, not to be a coalition partner.”

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP): 

“When we look at our 14 principles, I see the CHP-AKP coalition as a low probability. We want the [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan factor to be totally excluded from the coalition talks. I see an AKP-Nationalist Movement Party [MHP] coalition partnership as a higher probability.”

This is how Kılıçdaroğlu explains what will happen if he gets the mandate if Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu fails to form the government:

“The president has accepted to meet [CHP deputy] Mr. [Deniz] Baykal in the residence of the Foreign Ministry. In such a situation, if there is a similar call, I will go of course, but not to the palace, somewhere else.”

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Celal Doğan said this about his meeting with the president:

“Erdoğan said ‘it will be difficult with the CHP. Our constituencies are similar with that of the MHP. That will be a government of election.’”

I have not read MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli’s statement on this issue over the weekend. Yet, from the first day on, he has been saying, “We have been tasked with being in the opposition.”

And all the political actors nearly ignore the HDP, which has 80 deputies and which became the first party in 14 provinces.

As it looks, no one is intending to compromise; no one is respectful of the people’s votes.

All that is left to us to do is to listen to these statements and wonder what will happen.

Polls and election results

According to the polls published in pro-government media, the votes of the AKP will increase in re-elections.

Those that were tricked by the CHP’s promises, those furious against the MHP and those angry at the HDP will return to the AKP and thus the AKP will get the necessary votes to form a single-party government.

It seems that they are trying to be delusional; they are trying to overcome their fears.

Professor Özer Sencar analyzed the results of the last poll conducted by Metropoll:

“Those who thought the country’s economy was badly managed totaled 58 percent; those who thought it is well managed totaled 34.9 percent.

Those who thought foreign policy was a failure totaled 53.1 percent; those who thought it was a success totaled 40.2 percent.

Those who thought the judiciary was under the control of the government totaled 57.3 percent; those who thought it was independent totaled 30.8 percent.

The AKP entered 2015 feeling the erosion in its popularity and the disapproval in society was reflected in the June 7 election. The AKP was unable to maintain the perception about its success in the economy, education, foreign policy and democracy.”

Will that picture change by mid-November?