Nationalist MHP reiterates stance against reconciliation process


As discussions continue over how a coalition with opposition parties could work out, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) released an official statement on Thursday strictly ruling out any possible cooperation with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) referring to the party as a "snake in a bag." It also repeated its stance against sitting at a negotiating table with what it bills as an "extension of the outlawed PKK."

"The MHP can never go into a bag with the snake," the statement reads. The statement, containing bitter rhetoric against the HDP, equates the party to the PKK, which it says killed thousands of innocent people including Kurds.

The MHP, according to the statement, attributed the ability of the HDP to pass the threshold to those against the presidency of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and electorates in eastern provinces who voted for the party out of fear and pressure.

The statement also deems the language of Demirtaş as "false democratic rhetoric that conceals an armed struggle."

Although analysts believe the most likely partnership is one with the MHP and the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the party's firm opposition to the reconciliation process will also conflict with the latter as it launched the process and has vowed to pursue it until it reaches a conclusion.

The MHP, which raised its votes by 3 percent compared to the 2011 elections, has also ruled out a coalition with the AK Party. The leader of the party, Devlet Bahçeli, late on Sunday said: "The MHP is ready to be a main opposition party to a possible AK Party-CHP (Republican People's Party)-HDP coalition.

"Snap elections will happen whenever they happen," he added. The MHP received 16 percent of the vote and increased its votes by roughly 3 percent as the rise of the HDP in parallel enhanced votes for the MHP in reaction to Kurdish nationalism.