MHP supporters urge party to come into power, increase chances of coalition with AK Party


After the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) comfortably won the general elections for the fourth time in a row with around 40 percent of the vote, but failed to achieve an absolute majority to form a government single-handedly, opposition parties began to hint at possible coalitions. Despite the fact that the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) increased its vote by 3 percent compared to the 2011 elections, party Chairman Devlet Bahçeli spoke late on Sunday after the election and said,: "The MHP is ready to be a main opposition party to a possible AK Party-CHP- [Republican People's Party] HDP- [Peoples' Democratic Party] coalition." According to the local sources though, MHP supporters are urging the party authorities to come to power.As the AK Party is expected to seek to form a coalition government either with the CHP, MHP or HDP, agreement on certain issues is deemed highly improbable. As for the reconciliation process the government has been pursuing to end the Kurdish issue, an MHP-AK Party coalition will suffer from two conflicting policies over the matter. In this respect, the MHP chairmanship council is to meet in Ankara on Wednesday and is expected to discuss possible scenarios in the case of a coalition government. While MHP headquarters will wait until Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu meets with all opposition party leaders separately, the MHP Central Administration Council and deputies will meet on June 13 and mayors will meet on June 14 at the MHP headquarters in Ankara.Local sources report that not only MHP supporters, but also the party's provincial organizations are saying that the party has been absent from coming to power for many years and should come to power already. In addition, sources report that MHP supporters do not want a ruling government that includes a coalition with the pro-Kurdish HDP. It has further been stressed by MHP supporters that they will not allow the country to be ruled by the HDP.