Turkey's President Erdoğan open to any coalition formula, says CHP deputy Deniz Baykal

Newly elected Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Deniz Baykal has said on Wednesday that President Erdoğan is open to 'any coalition formula.'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's meeting with former CHP chairman and newly elected deputy Deniz Baykal at the foreign minister's residence ended after over two hours on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting in Ankara, CHP deputy Baykal said "I saw that Erdoğan is open to any coalition formula. I gladly saw that he has no objections to opposition parties forming a coalition among themselves," Baykal added.

"The meeting request was a sudden one, decided in the morning upon the President's request," Baykal said. "We did not discuss the coalition (possibilities), as I do not have any authority for such a meeting."

Baykal also said the meeting's place, the foreign minister's residence, was convenient to both his and Erdoğan's schedule.

"He did not have any special request, but I can make some inferences," Baykal said. "I saw that Erdoğan wants stability and a solution in Turkey immediately."

"It was a general discussion, we exchanged our views."

Baykal also said that an early election "is not a preferable solution."

Erdoğan's meeting with the former Republican People's Party leader on Wednesday had started at 12.15 p.m. local time (0915GMT) at the foreign minister's residence in Ankara.

Sources said that Erdoğan discussed how the Turkish parliament will function under Baykal, since he will preside over the national assembly until a speaker is elected to the parliament.

Baykal (76) is the oldest elected MP in the parliament after Sunday's general election.

The former CHP leader then headed to his party's headquarters to meet with CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

The Justice and Development (AK) Party came in first in the fourth consecutive general elections Sunday to secure the largest number of votes - 41 percent - and to claim 258 seats in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, 18 short of a simple majority.

Erdoğan accepted Tuesday the cabinet's resignation submitted by the Prime Minister and AK Party Chairman Ahmet Davutoğlu. The cabinet was asked to continue its duties until the formation of a new government.

Erdoğan is expected to ask Davutoğlu to form a government after the parliament convenes.