Türkiye’s six-party opposition bloc Nation Alliance announced Thursday that its four smaller parties will be nominating parliamentary candidates jointly with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) for the upcoming elections.
The Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), the Future Party (GP), the Felicity Party (SP) and the Democrat Party (DP) have agreed to run their candidates under the logo of the CHP in a move that could lead to internecine strife and eventual resignations.
The five parties are expected to notify the Supreme Election Council (YSK) by the end of Thursday that they will not be using their own logos for their candidates. The ballot will instead feature all candidates under the logos of the CHP and the Good Party (IP).
The move comes as the CHP is forced to admit candidates from its partners due to a number of political minnows in the bloc who are unlikely to win enough votes for parliamentary seats. The Good Party opposed forming alliances in some constituencies and taking in candidates loyal to other opposition parties for their candidate lists in nearly 60 out of 81 provinces, which pushed the CHP to open its list to the four parties.
The party was already criticized for skipping intraparty voting on potential parliamentary candidates, apparently in a bid to make room for candidates from its smaller allies. Sources say anger is growing among local branches of the CHP across Türkiye over some likely names crossed off in the candidate lists.
One former CHP deputy even argued "mass resignations are due” once the alliance releases its candidate lists likely absent of devoted members.
Division among opposition parties has also been a threat to creating sturdy lists. The SP recently sought to bolster a new alliance within the Nation Alliance with the GP and the DEVA to split from the others who adopt more nationalist or left-wing policies but was apparently turned down by the DEVA once negotiations hit a dead end as each insisted on sticking to their own logos.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the head of the CHP and the bloc’s joint presidential candidate for May 14, is expected to sever all ties with his party in the wake of the elections, regardless of the outcome. He could face isolation after discarding many of his fellow CHP members in order to make room for "outside” candidates.
In the meantime, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s partner in the People’s Alliance, announced it would compete with its own candidates after the bloc welcomed the New Welfare Party (YRP) and the Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR).
The YPR confirmed it would field its own deputy lists instead of nominating them under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) logo. The deadline for submitting final lists is April 9.