Two options for caretaker gov’t lie ahead of Turkish politics before early polls

Following the failure of coalition talks between the AK Party and Turkey's opposition parties the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), early elections have become an inevitable option for the country. There are currently two options regarding what type of a government will rule the country until the elections, as the MHP has ruled out the possibility of supporting a minority government led by the AK Party and early elections and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said that he is ready to return the mandate if it is necessary.

The first scenario involves the formation of a caretaker government by President Erdoğan, in line with Article 116 of the Constitution, which allows him to call for early polls and establish a caretaker government, where all political parties with seats in the parliament have representation in the cabinet. However, the MHP had announced that they will not take place in a caretaker government, which would mean that their seats would be distributed amongst other parties.

Since Prime Minister Davutoğlu has failed to establish a government after he received the mandate on July 9, President Erdoğan may hand over the mandate to CHP chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in the case that Davutoğlu returns it. This would mean that the CHP would form an interim caretaker government, but would need MHP's or the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) support. If the CHP is able to form such a minority government, then the cabinet would solely consist of CHP members.

Following the coalition talks with the MHP on Monday, Davutoğlu underscored that all options to establish a coalition government have been exhausted, as the MHP closed its doors to the AK Party, while MHP's chairman Devlet Bahçeli stated that the AK Party has refused to accept its four conditions.

When the deadline to form a government expires on Aug. 23, either President Erdoğan or Parliament can decide to hold early elections. If the president issues the decision, then polling is supposed to be held the first Sunday following a 90-day period starting from the end of the first deadline.