‘Table of Six’ to convene to discuss presidential candidate

ANKARA

Leaders of the six opposition parties will convene on March 2 with the agenda of their presidential nominee in the upcoming elections.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and İyi (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener had a bilateral meeting on Feb. 27 amid expectations for the opposition parties to determine their presidential candidate.

“On March 2, the Nation Alliance will determine the 13th president and we will share this with our nation as soon as this becomes common,” İYİ Party Spokesperson Kürşat Zorlu told reporters after the meeting.

The Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), the CHP, İYİ Party, the Felicity Party, the Democrat Party and the Future Party have pledged to introduce a “strengthened parliamentary system.”

The six opposition parties recently stated that they will act as Nation Alliance for the upcoming elections in 2023.

CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu, İYİ Party leader Akşener, Democracy and Progress Party Chair Ali Babacan, Future Party Chair Ahmet Davutoğlu and Democrat Party Chair Gültekin Uysal will be hosted by Felicity Party Chair Temel Karamollaoğlu on March 2.

Among the names publicly debated for the opposition’s presidential candidate were CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu, the CHP Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and CHP’s Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş.

However, a court ruling for İmamoğlu risks his candidacy. A Turkish court sentenced İmamoğlu to 2 years and 7 months in prison on Dec. 14 on charges of insulting members of Türkiye’s Supreme Electoral Council. The court convicted İmamoğlu of the charge and also imposed a political ban that could lead to him being removed from office.