Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) head Devlet Bahçeli on Tuesday dismissed the early election rumors, underlining that the polls will take place as scheduled on June 2023.
"We feel it's necessary to remind the unwary, who make constant statements on the issue with an attempt to keep the subject as a hot topic, that they have to wait until June 2023 for the elections. (In 2023), the Turkish nation will not only celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Turkish republic but also by defending its own history and solidarity rights, will appreciate the People's Alliance and the presidential system," Bahçeli said during his party's parliamentary group meeting in Ankara.
Both Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Good Party (IP) Chairperson Meral Akşener have been calling for early elections since October 2020. They claim that Turkey is not being well-governed and the government is allegedly not finding solutions to the problems.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month also dismissed the possibility of holding early elections, as he reiterated once again that such claims are nothing but speculation.
Turkey will hold its next general elections in June 2023, Erdoğan announced back in October 2020, and emphasized: "Moving it to an earlier time is out of the question."
Meanwhile, calling on the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) to be shut down, Bahçeli further expressed that they, as the MHP, expect an investigation to be launched on the party.
The HDP is known for having links to the PKK terrorist group. The party has numerous times drawn ire for transferring taxpayer money and funds to the PKK, a globally recognized terrorist group. HDP mayors and local officials have been found to misuse funds in support of the PKK terrorist group and provide jobs to PKK sympathizers.
Its mayors have also been accused of undermining municipal services, allowing the PKK to dig ditches in the streets and launch attacks on police and soldiers when the terrorist group adopted an urban warfare strategy in July 2015 and ended a two-year reconciliation period. The HDP municipalities and their staff were also found to be actively participating in terrorist attacks launched after July 2015.
The MHP leader also targeted the main opposition CHP and IP and stated that they are "in the wrong for being in an alliance with the HDP."
The CHP has so far refrained from officially including the HDP, which has been condemned for its close ties with the PKK, in its electoral alliance with the IP amid fears of a possible backlash from its secular-nationalist voter base.
Still, the party has indirect cooperation with the HDP within the scope of having a joint opposition in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
Speaking on the issue, the AK Party group head Cahit Özkan said on Tuesday that AK Party will "hopefully" shut down the HDP.
"Our nation has lost its hope on the HDP," he said.
