Nation Alliance unveils comprehensive gov’t program with 2,000 specific objectives
ANKARA
The six-party Nation Alliance has unveiled its ambitious and comprehensive government program covering nine major areas, 75 subtitles with more than 2,000 targets to overhaul the governance system, economic policies, foreign policy, education and social policies for placing Türkiye into the league of high-income countries in the world.
“The concrete targets, policies and projects outlined in our Common Policies’ Consensus Text are our joint commitments to our people,” said the leaders in the preface of the 240-page text distributed during the massive meeting held in the Turkish capital on Jan. 30. This text will create the backbone of the government program the alliance will implement when it comes to power in the next elections.
Nine main areas cover justice, public administration, fighting corruption, economy and employment, science and digital transformation, sectoral policies, education, social policies and foreign policy and migration.
Repeating that the main objective of the alliance is to shift from current executive-parliamentary system to the strengthened parliamentary system with a one-term and seven-year-long presidential tenure and a strong prime ministry, the alliance promises to reduce the election threshold to 3 percent.
On public administration, the alliance promises to shut down offices and agencies that are currently operating under the president and transfer their jobs to the existing ministries and other institutions.
On economy, the alliance vows to permanently lower the inflation to a single digit figure in two years and re-value of the Turkish Lira. Per capita income in U.S. dollars will be increased twice at the end of five years with more than 5 percent annual average growth underlined the alliance, ensuring the independence of the Central Bank. “The number of the planes being used by the presidency will be decreased, instead of them firefighters will be supplied,” deputy CHP leader Faik Öztrak said at the meeting.
Ties with US, Russia, EU to be based on equality
On foreign policy, the leaders promise to return to Türkiye’s main principle of “peace at home, peace in the world.”
“We will work for the accomplishment of the process of our country for the full membership to the European Union on the basis of dialogue, justice and equality,” it said, stressing the need for revising the 2016 migration agreement with the EU.
Ties with the U.S. will sit on an institutional platform based on equality, the leaders said, vowing to exert efforts to let Türkiye return to the F-35 jetfighter program that it was expelled due to its acquisition of Russian S-400 systems.
Ties with Russia will be strengthened through institutional and constructive dialogue based on equality. The leaders did vow to continue to fight against terror and to return all the refugees back their countries as soon as possible and in line with law.
Opposition alliance to decide its candidate on February 13
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has said the six-party oppositional alliance will decide on its candidate in their next meeting on Feb. 13 and announce him or her in the following days.
“We will meet at the Felicity Party’s headquarters on Feb. 13. We will take this decision on Feb. 13 but [it is not certain whether] we are going to announce the candidate on the same day or in the following days,” said Kılıçdaroğlu in a televised interview late on Jan. 29.
The CHP chairman informed that the presidential candidate will publicize a road map and a protocol to be agreed by the six leaders. On a question whether he is a potential candidate, Kılıçdaroğlu reiterated that the leaders will decide on who is going to run for the presidency.
On another question, Kılıçdaroğlu confirmed that he is meeting criteria announced for the oppositional candidate, stressing “We will name a person as the presidential candidate. The selected candidate should be able to maintain the existing working tradition of the alliance.”
Türkiye will go to simultaneous presidential and parliamentary polls on May 14. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has already been named as the joint candidate of the People Alliance. The oppositional Nation Alliance will determine who will run against Erdoğan.
