Six opposition leaders to meet for first time to discuss return to parliamentary system

ANKARA

The leaders of six opposition parties will hold their first meeting to discuss the results of ongoing joint work for the return to the parliamentary system if they come to power in the next elections.

“The chairpersons of the six parties will come together at a working dinner on Feb. 12 upon the invitation of our chairman for a review on the latest shape of the work on the strengthened parliamentary system and for consultations on the upcoming process,” Faik Öztrak, the spokesman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), told reporters over the weekend.

The invitation for the meeting was extended by CHP chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to İYİ (Good) Party chair Meral Akşener, Felicity Party leader Temel Karamollaoğlu, Democrat Party leader Gültekin Uysal, Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) leader Ali Babacan and Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu.

The CHP, the İYİ Party, the Felicity Party and the Democrat Party are formally making the Nation Alliance, which had run with joint candidates in the mayoral elections in 2019. Babacan and Davutoğlu have not yet joined the alliance but are working with them for the return to the parliamentary system.

The leaders will primarily evaluate the results of the drafted return to the parliamentary system and the next steps on how to make it public. They will also discuss a road map that they will follow for the next elections.

Turkey will go to the presidential and parliamentary elections in June 2023, but the opposition believes the government will prefer to hold them later this year, probably in the autumn. Kılıçdaroğlu, in an interview on Friday, predicted that the polls might take place in autumn this year as the government would like to avoid the harmful economic and social consequences of another harsh winter.