Republican People's Party (CHP) General Secretary Akif Hamzaçebi said in an interview published yesterday that the parties of the Nation Alliance are free to pursue their own policies, Hamzaçebi was responding to remarks made by members of the alliance, which was formed for the June 24 parliamentary elections, suggesting that it has been dissolved.

"The Nation Alliance was formed only for the elections. Now, every party has its own discretion in determining policies," he said in his interview with the Hürriyet newspaper.

The Nation Alliance was formed by the center-left secular CHP, the right-wing Good Party (İP), the Islamist-conservative Felicity Party (SP) and the center-right Democrat Party (DP). The alliance received 33.9 percent of the votes, suffering a defeat against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) People's Alliance, which received 53.7 percent of the votes.

Aytun Çıray, the spokesman for the İP, had said Wednesday that the Nation Alliance was meant for the elections and there is no need for it now that they have been concluded.

Speaking after the İP's executive board meeting, which was also attended by the party's Chairwoman Meral Akşener, Çıray said the possibility of early local elections is low amid Turkey's social and economic problems but the party is ready in any case.

SP Chairman Temel Karamollaoğlu also said Wednesday that the Nation Alliance has been terminated. In a press conference in party headquarters in Ankara, Karamollaoğlu said, "The alliance was about the general elections, it has expired at that point." He added that there will be no electoral cooperation in local elections. Ahead of the elections, pundits had said that the alliance would not last long as it was formed by parties that are traditionally distinct from each other and have diverging ideological stances.