Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Saturday promised to solve Turkey's economic problems as he presented his party's election manifesto.
Speaking at the official launch of the program in Ankara, Kılıçdaroğlu said a government led by the party's presidential candidate Muharrem Ince and a parliament with CHP majority would focus on fixing the economy, unemployment and transforming Turkey into a high-tech hub.
Kılıçdaroğlu woved to find solutions to "five main problems of Turkey" as he read out his party's 230-page declaration, prepared under the slogan "We are coming for the nation." He also introduced the CHP candidates running for parliament in the June 24 early elections.
According to Kılıçdaroğlu, "the five main problems" that need "urgent solution" are: justice, education, economy, social peace and foreign policy.
"Turkey wants peace, not fighting. Turkey wants freedom, not autocracy. Turkey wants democracy, not a one-man regime," he said.
In the manifesto, the party pledges to lift the state of emergency on priority basis and to establish an independent, impartial and fair justice system.
During his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu indicated the party would find a solution to the issues in the country's economy, which he described as "one of the most basic problematic fields of Turkey."
"The net minimum wage will be 2,200 Turkish liras ($467) and it will be without taxes," he said.
"The lowest pension will be 1,500 Turkish liras ($318)."
The party also promised to set up new ministries such as Human Resources, Women and Tradesmen Ministries.
According to Kılıçdaroğlu, his party also plans to establish a new foundation to design Turkey's future. He announced the name of the foundation as "Human Development Strategies and Information Policy Institution," where the country's most prestigious scientists would work.
Among the promises made by Kılıçdaroğlu were generous credits to SMEs with zero interest, tax cuts for farmers, higher wages for teachers, and new projects in Anatolian provinces where agriculture and industry is the main source of income.
One of these projects, the "Center Turkey" project, is familiar to voters as it was one of the main election promises of the CHP in June and November 2015 elections. The project aims to create a $200 billion megacity, logistics hub and free zone in the hear of Anatolia.
A new project was to create five development belts based on geography with focuses on different sectors.
Kılıçdaroğlu said foreign policy would be implemented under the motto "Peace at home, Peace in the World".
"We will live in peace with all our neighbors," he said.
The CHP leader also announced his party would establish an "Organization of Middle East Peace and Cooperation."
"The founders of this organization will be Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. These four states will live in peace."
He also pledged to lift visa restrictions on Palestinians and annul the 2016 normalization deal reached with Israel, which included restoring relations severed after Israeli raid on an aid flotilla in the international waters in the Mediterranean killing 10 activists and provided compensation for the victims.
The CHP's official campaign slogan is "We're coming for the nation," while Ince uses the slogan "President for all of us" in its election campaign.
Last April, the parliament passed a bill for early elections on June 24, cementing Turkey's move to a presidential system. In the April 2017 referendum, Turkish voters had approved the switch from a parliamentary system to a presidential one.
Against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), CHP has struggled to win support beyond its core base of secular-minded voters. CHP's candidate Ince is now trying to gain support from other voter bases with economic pledges and vows to be a non-partisan leader if elected.
However, polls show President and AK Party chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is comfortably the strongest candidate and is likely to win in the first round with a simple majority.
Ince and the CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu are expected to hold joint rallies in provinces including Bursa, Aydın, Ordu, Giresun, Hatay, Mersin, Izmir, Ankara and Istanbul in the coming days. CHP's group deputy chairman Engin Altay said on Thursday that Ince will visit 73 provinces and hold the last rally in Istanbul. On Thursday, Ince said in a televised interview that he wants to visit 81 provinces, if time allows.
Ten political parties are contesting the early elections: AK Party, CHP, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Grand Unity Party (BBP), Democrat Party (DP), Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Free Cause Party (Hüda-Par), newly-formed Good Party (IP), Felicity Party (SP) and the Patriotic Party (VP). The CHP, the IP, the SP and and the DP have formed the Nation Alliance.
Meanwhile, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli also announced his party's election declaration on Saturday. The MHP formed an alliance with AK Party for the elections, which was named the People's Alliance and later joined by the BBP. Bahçeli announced that he will support Erdoğan in the presidential elections. The AK Party officials have stated that there will be a joint rally organized by the People's Alliance, where both Erdoğan and Bahçeli will jointly address supporters.
Both in presidential and parliamentary elections, 59,391,328 electorates, including 56,342,263 in Turkey and 3,049,065 abroad, will go to polls..
