Coalition talks suspended for a week due to dispute in Parliament bureau


Talks to be held to form a coalition government face a week's delay following a crisis that erupted in the formation of the Bureau of the Assembly as well as Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's forthcoming Bosnia and Herzegovina visit. The Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) coalition tour, which will begin after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authorization to the party's chairman, Davutoğlu, is a matter of debate. The Bureau of the Assembly still needs to be formed before Davutoğlu can receive authorization, according to the Constitution.Reportedly, there has been a disagreement between the political parties in forming the bureau, and Parliamentary Speaker İsmet Yılmaz will gather the Board of the Spokespersons on Tuesday to find a consensus.The first thing the assembly is required to do is to establish its bureau, which normally consists of 15 deputies: the speaker, four vice speakers, seven secretaries and three quaestors. To ensure proportional representation amongst all the political parties, the bureau's numbers are expected to increase to 19.However, there is disagreement between the political party members as to the number of people who will be in the bureau. When the political parties reach an agreement on the bureau, it then needs to be approved by Parliament, and this process is should be finalized by Thursday.Furthermore, the AK Party has not determined its members for the Bureau of the Assembly yet, and it is expected that they will be adjusted in a closed-door party meeting on Tuesday or Wednesday.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Davutoğlu will pay a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 10-11 to attend a tribute ceremony on the anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre. It is expected that Davutoğlu will continue his domestic business on July 12 or July 13 following his return from Bosnia and Herzegovina.The options for a coalition government have narrowed to two before official negotiations have even begun, but early elections still loom, as the remaining options could also fail during the talks due to a lack of compromise between the parties.Saying late on Thursday that there are two options for a coalition, Davutoğlu said: "There are currently two viable options that could be mathematically applied. There will either be an AK Party-CHP [Republican People's Party] coalition or an AK Party-MHP [Nationalist Movement Party] coalition. They have narrowed down the alternatives one by one, with the remarks they have uttered thus far. They diminished the chances before the talks even began."The AK Party's road map for coalition negotiations is also reportedly revealed in talks carried out simultaneously with the CHP and MHP in a month's time. Though the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) is also on the agenda of the meetings; following the evaluation of the party's Central Executive Board (MYK) and Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK), a second tour is expected for talks with the CHP and the MHP since the party is not considering forming a coalition with the HDP. Along with these tours, unofficial talks will also be held simultaneously with the CHP and the MHP to try to prevent them from offering unwelcome demands.