CHP urges Turkish PM not to blackmail opposition into early polls

Şükrü KÜÇÜKŞAHİN - ANKARA

REUTERS photo

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the social democrat opposition party, has urged the Justice and Development Party (AKP) not to blackmail opposition parties to go to early polls in the case of failing to form a coalition government.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s urging came only hours after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called all political parties to act with common sense in government talks or otherwise go to polls. 

“He [Davutoğlu] can’t impose his conditions for the formation of the coalition government just because he had most votes in the polls. ‘Let’s form the government or we’ll go to elections’ cannot be acceptable. One cannot do politics through blackmail. If he does so, we’ll go to polls and this won’t be the end of the world,” Kılıçdaroğlu told the daily Hürriyet July 9. 

Davutoğlu received the mandate for the formation of the government July 9, thus marking the beginning of 45-day deadline for the formation of a coalition government. Any failure in the government talks between the four political parties will cause early elections at the end of November. 

“Is Prime Minister Davutoğlu sincere? If sincere, what about these appointments? Is he going to be able to act independently from the palace?” Kılıçdaroğlu asked. The palace Kılıçdaroğlu referred to is the presidential palace where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has used since elected president. 

“The conditions for a coalition have not been matured yet. On what grounds a coalition will be formed? Davutoğlu will come to us and we should listen to what he will say. I have concerns that Davutoğlu cannot move independently from the palace,” he said.  

Underlining that Davutoğlu, as the chairman of the AKP, should win his freedom from the palace to be able to act in a more compromising way, the CHP leader stated that early elections would be to the disadvantage of the country’s interests, especially with the economy in dire straits. 

‘PM should stop appointing’

One important issue Kılıçdaroğlu brought to the agenda is the ongoing appointments in state bureaucracy, even after the June 7 elections with an interim government. “Davutoğlu should not make these appointments, as he is leading an interim government. There are ethical rules. These appointments should be made by the new government,” he said, drawing attention to the new appointments made in the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). 

“Most dangerous appointments have been made at the MİT. The MİT is being politicized. This is harmful both for Turkey and democracy. Turning an institution tasked to protect Turkey’s rights into the backyard of a political party is very dangerous.”  

President still part of active politics

Although the president’s sole task is to give the mandate for the formation of the government, Erdoğan is heavily involved in political issues, Kılıçdaroğlu said. “Apart from giving the mandate, the president has no other duty. He has no right and power to make statements about the formation of a coalition government or what kind of a government will be formed.”

The CHP’s leader accused the president of making the coalition talks more difficult through his divisive statements.