Each leader of the six-party opposition coalition will receive a vice presidency as well as at least one ministry, said Ahmet Davutoğlu, head of the Future Party (GP) on Wednesday, stirring further debate on the coalition’s policies.
If the president of the six-party coalition will make his own decisions, it would result in a crisis, asserted Davutoğlu during an interview with Habertürk TV.
“Let me say this clearly. This president would lose Parliament's support. The country would have to hold elections once again. The president has to think what Parliament would think while he is taking decisions on his own because Parliament has the right to revoke the president’s decision. The six-party coalition will announce a very strong transition process, roadmap and joint policies text,” he asserted.
On being asked when a candidate would be announced, Davutoğlu reiterated that the six parties would start discussing the issue.
In their 10th meeting in the capital Ankara, which lasted for 9.5 hours, it was revealed that the opposition did not discuss what voters were expecting the most – a presidential nominee.
Türkiye is heading toward presidential and parliamentary elections this year in June, while the ruling party has hinted at the possibility of slightly earlier than scheduled dates. Rumors are swirling that elections might be held in late April or early May, giving the opposition even less time to prepare.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) are partners under the People's Alliance, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan serving as the alliance's candidate for the upcoming presidential elections.
The six-party opposition parties are running out of time, bickering about everything from policy and strategy to which candidate to field against the 68-year-old leader.
The opposition is made up of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the Felicity Party (SP), the Good Party (IP), the Future Party (GP), the Democrat Party (DP) and the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA).
One of the main policy targets of the opposition is their plan to "consolidate democracy" and implement the “strengthened parliamentary system,” which limits the president to a seven-year term and requires that the president sever his/her ties to political parties and prohibit him/her from joining a political party after his/her term.
It has been nearly five years since Türkiye switched from a parliamentary system to the current presidential one after most Turkish voters opted to create the new system. Turkish voters narrowly endorsed an executive presidency on April 16, 2017, with a referendum of 51.4% votes in favor. The official transition to the new system occurred when Erdoğan was sworn in as the president in Parliament after the 2018 general elections, which he won by a majority of 52.6% votes.
The next meeting of the opposition is expected to take place on Jan. 26, hosted by the IP.
