Opposition to implement 12-item road map if elected

ANKARA

The Nation Alliance has pledged to run the country by abiding by the constitution and laws and respecting the checks and balances mechanism and the principle of separation of powers if elected in the next elections.

The leaders of six opposition parties agreed on a 12-item road map for returning to the parliamentary system in the aftermath of May 14 polls in which Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will run as the joint candidate of the opposition against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The first article of the road map underlined that the leaders will run this process through consultation and compromise and by respecting fundamental pillars of the constitution and laws. It recalls that shifting from the current executive-presidential system to the strengthened parliamentary model will be realized as soon as possible and in line with the arithmetic composition of the parliament.

The leaders of the alliance will serve as vice presidents during the transition period, the road map suggests, informing that each party will control one ministry in the cabinet and the other ministries will be distributed to the parties in accordance with the vote they garner.

The road map outlines that the president will run his office in consultation with the alliance leaders, especially on critical matters such as renewing the elections, national security policies and appointments to high-level bureaucratic offices.

The alliance will also continue to remain in coordination at the parliament, the road map stresses.

The last article of the road map tells that Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş will be appointed as vice presidents by the president at an appropriate time.

Meanwhile, İmamoğlu and Yavaş also exerted important efforts for overcoming the crisis between İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener and other leaders over the presidential candidate. Akşener returned to the table and accepted Kılıçdaroğlu’s nomination only after İmamoğlu and Yavaş have been introduced as vice presidents in the government.

A presidential official and legal expert, Mehmet Uçum, however, said a mayor cannot take such a position and that would be a blatant violation of the constitution. CHP officials rejected Uçum’s comments.

HDP awaits Kılıçdaroğlu

In the meantime, the Peoples’ Democracy Party (HDP) has sent warm messages to Kılıçdaroğlu’s nomination. In a televised interview on late March 6, HDP co-chair Mithat Sancar said his party will not nominate a presidential candidate but support Kılıçdaroğlu if the CHP leader pays a visit to HDP headquarters and have discussions.

“Good luck with Kılıçdaroğlu’s candidacy, we look forward to his visit to talk to him at our headquarters. Our goal is democracy, justice and freedom. Basically, we want to talk about principles,” he said, noting that the HDP does not aim to bargain for a position in the government.