Early polls likely as CHP kills hopes for a coalition


As the coalition talks continue between the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Republican People's Party (CHP) delegations, CHP Secretary-General Gürsel Tekin stated Tuesday evening during a TV program that his party is not eager to form a coalition with the AK Party. In his remarks Tekin stressed that the CHP is well aware that it should not side with the AK Party and that the CHP is not eager for such a coalition. In this regard, with the ongoing negotiations and exploratory talks, the two parties' delegations met Wednesday to further discuss the topics. While the delegations will aim to reach an agreement on the determined topics, it has been reported that the two parties are unable to reach a consensus on critical items such as the formation of the new constitution as well as the foreign policy.With Tekin's recent remarks indicating an unwillingness to form a coalition government with the AK Party, several leading members of opposition parties indicated that they all are preparing for a possible early election as soon as this autumn, and the coalition negotiations with the AK Party and CHP are expected to fail.Speaking to Daily Sabah, AK Party deputy Bülent Turan underlined that through its varying statements since June 7, the CHP is displaying an inconsistent stance toward the matter of forming a coalition government. Turan further indicated that "despite the percentage of votes it got, the CHP is making statements that are not in line with political ethics.""Tekin remarks that they want 14 ministries for their 14 conditions was an attempt to discredit the coalition negotiations. Such remarks display to the public which political parties take the election results seriously," said Turan.As the members of the Parliament Spokespersons Board from the MHP and AK Party visited President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday at the Presidential Palace, members from the CHP and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were absent from the delegation led by Parliament speaker İsmet Yılmaz. Commenting on CHP members avoiding to visit the president, Turan said such a disrespectful act against a president who was chosen with 52 percent of votes is wrong. He further said, "I do not think such rebukes as the coalition negotiations continue are accurate. The AK Party which has become the majority party in all the 10 elections it has entered will not refrain from going to early elections."