Turkey's PM Davutoğlu: Opposition parties see elections as the last chance


Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said opposition parties are acting in unison ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election as they regard the polls as the last chance to prevent another term under his AK Party's rule, and the development of Turkey.

Speaking during a late night live interview jointly broadcast on private Ülke TV and Kanal 7 on Thursday, the prime minister stressed that the pre-election period in Turkey has witnessed a union of political fractions that have so far never been completely dissimilar.

"Disparate siblings have lined up against the AK Party in this election," he said.

Turkey's Davutoğlu and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have accused opposition parties of forming a "dirty alliance" and being hands in gloves with the Gülen Movement allegedly steered by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, the terrorist organization PKK, and Armenian diaspora in their alleged attempts to divide Turkey.

Davutoğlu argued that the opposition has been engaged in "storing up" efforts against his ruling party since the onset of the Gezi Park protests in 2013 summer.

What began as an environmental issue, with concerned Istanbulites numbering in the dozens occupying central Gezi Park to prevent the removal of the trees, soon mushroomed into a nationwide wave of protests against the Turkish government two years ago.

Turkish authorities later labeled the demonstrations a coup attempt, perpetrated by the Gülen Movement embedded in the country's institutions.

"They say now or never as there will be no elections until 2019, a key period of four years to sustain the stability," said the prime minister.

He also criticized Qandil -- the main base camp of the outlawed PKK, which the Turkish president alleges is being backed by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democracy Party (HDP) -- for speaking on behalf of and even instead of the HDP.

"[HDP Co-chairman Selahattin] Demirtaş no more speaks but Qandil does. It says 'I will determine and assign who to form a coalition with.' It also issues threats," Davutoğlu said.

"Then we say, 'The vote casted for HDP is for the PKK and Qandil,'" he added.

The AK Party was victorious in last year's March 30 local elections and the party's then-leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won the presidential election in August 2014.

In the 2011 general election, the AK Party received 49 percent of the votes.

Approximately 56 million Turkish citizens are eligible to vote next month in the country's 25th general election to choose 550 lawmakers for the parliament. Candidates are representing 20 political parties.

Turkey held general election every five years until a 2007 constitutional change, which set the election to every four years.