Turkey’s nationalist MHP says too soon to consider coalition role

ISTANBUL

CİHAN Photo

The deputy chairman of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) said June 7 that it was too early to say whether it would consider forming a coalition government with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

Partial results from the parliamentary election show that the AKP will be forced to form either a minority government or a coalition, and the MHP is seen by many as its most likely potential partner. 

“It would be wrong for me to make an assessment about a coalition, our party will assess that in the coming period. I think the AK Party will be making its own new evaluations after this outcome,” MHP deputy leader Oktay Vural told Reuters.

30 more seats

The MHP won 16.4 percent of the votes according to initial results, thus remaining the second largest opposition party at parliament. 

The party increased its votes from 13 percent in the last election, and its seats increased to an estimated 83, from 53.