Türkiye’s opposition alliance is fine with holding the country's next parliamentary and presidential elections on May 14, according to main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
“They’re saying May 14 will be the election date. We’re OK with it,” Kılıçdaroğlu told reporters during a visit to Istanbul on Saturday.
His affirmative comment came days after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan indicated mid-May as the possible date for the much-anticipated general election, despite months of calling for a snap election before the formal schedule on June 18.
“We have expressed that the people have the say when May 14 comes around. This is what the Nation Alliance wants as well,” the CHP leader said, referring to the six-party opposition alliance.
Türkiye’s main opposition parties, the secularist CHP and the center-right Good Party (IP), have allied themselves with four smaller parties, the Felicity Party (SP), the Future Party (GP), the Democrat Party (DP) and the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), under a platform that promises a return to a “reinforced parliamentary system,” if elected.
The electoral bloc was founded to forge a united platform to run against Erdoğan’s People’s Alliance, under which his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is allied with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
The “table for six,” a moniker frequently used by and about the opposition alliance, consistently campaigned for an early election, insisting on polls before the implementation of the election and political party law on April 6, 2022, which, under the constitution, could have affected the scheduled 2023 election, a year after it would have come into effect.
The law reforms elections by increasing the vote threshold for parties by having their lawmakers directly elected into Parliament, something that would affect smaller parties.
With the moved-up date, Türkiye is rapidly heading toward one of the most consequential votes in the centurylong history of the modern republic. And yet, the table for six has been in disarray, struggling to reach a consensus on most principles, including a leading presidential candidate, while multiple party heads hinted at trying their luck come May.
Internal conflicts have recently surfaced regarding how the unknown candidate would act if elected. GP Chair Ahmet Davutoğlu even argued that the alliance instructions would influence the candidate in deciding on specific assignments, stirring up debates about whether it would be constitutional to have such a “puppet president.”
Erdoğan too swung at his opposition earlier this week, saying they would “run the country with six, even 10 people” behind the curtain.
“They want to have a puppet president they will manage. They imagine a commander-in-chief who would serve as an aide to members of the ‘table for six.’ They want voters to elect an unknown candidate with no vision or plans. We know the CHP has had this vanity for a long time, this fascist behavior, but we did not know that others have it too,” he said.
Earlier this week, a CHP official said the name of the alliance’s presidential candidate would “probably be declared sometime in February.”
The leaders of the six parties are also set to reveal in two documents their proposals for a transitional period to a parliamentary system and their government program on Jan. 30, four days after the party leaders held their 11th summit hosted by the IP. Officials said there were plans to open the meeting to the public for the first time with expansive attendance.
The 2023 elections will likely be the first time with two rounds as it will be the first since the country switched to a presidential system of governance. However, for Erdoğan, the elections will be “more important and historical” due to what he called the “beginning of Türkiye’s new vision, the Century of Türkiye,” a motto Erdoğan often repeats about new action plans in an array of fields, from defense to economy, to improve Türkiye’s standing in the international community.
Meanwhile, recent surveys conducted by the AK Party reveal a three-point rise, exceeding 41%, in support for the party and Erdoğan, the longest-serving president in the century-old Turkish republic history.
Neither side has yet to launch official election rallies. However, the current outlook indicates the race for the presidential seat could gear up starting next month.
