Opposition alliance to announce government program soon: CHP

SERKAN DEMİRTAŞ-ANKARA

The six-party opposition alliance will soon complete drafting a government program that will outline economic policy, foreign policy and other key policies it will follow when it comes to power, the leader of the main opposition has said, reiterating that the joint candidate will be decided only after this program is announced.

“There are two main things to be done before the candidate is chosen. First, a government program that will explain what the opposition alliance will do in terms of economy, foreign policy, agriculture, trade, justice etc. when it comes to power,” Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) told Ankara Bureau Chiefs of the newspapers in a meeting late on Dec. 13.

The second thing to do is to agree on how the opposition alliance will run the government, Kılıçdaroğlu stressed, referring to a division of labor between the six leaders of the People’s Alliance.

The writing of the government program is almost finished, and the leaders will likely agree on it when they meet on Dec. 26, the CHP leader said, “We have to ready the government program before announcing the candidate because the joint nominee’s presidential campaign will be based on the items of this program.”

There is a big consensus over the content of the program and the leaders will compromise on issues with different opinions, he added. “We are progressing in a very committed way.”

On a question over how the alliance will determine the joint candidate, Kılıçdaroğlu stressed that the priority should be given to the system change rather than the candidate. “I find it odd when I am always asked about the candidacy. We are looking forward to changing the system. That is why we are proposing to change the constitution. We want such a system that will prevent the country from experiencing crises.”

Kılıçdaroğlu repeated that Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş are doing their jobs very successfully and he wants them to keep their job, ruling out their respective presidential candidacies. He also denied speculations that he is in divergence with Good (İYİ) Party leader Meral Akşener over who should be the candidate of the alliance.

The elections will be held in June 2023 although there are discussions to bring the election date forward to either mid-May or April.

Fight against terror

On a question about a potential cross-border operation into northern Syria against the presence of the YPG, Kılıçdaroğlu said “Those who should run the state should not endanger the lives of others for maintaining their rule.”

The CHP is always against terrorism as a crime against humanity but taking some actions for personal political ambitions will create problems for Türkiye, the CHP leader said, in response to a question whether he is concerned that the government is planning a cross-border operation for political purposes before the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Türkiye has to follow wise policies against terror and implement effective diplomacy to get the support of the allied countries in its fight, he stressed.

In the meantime, Kılıçdaroğlu will embark on a three-day tour to Germany where he will hold talks with economists, financial institutions, academics and universities. He already visited the United States and the United Kingdom.