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AK Party-MHP coalition talks end without result

Türkiye Materials 17 August 2015 22:29 (UTC +04:00)
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced that his Justice and Development (AK) Party's negotiations with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have ended without an agreement to form a coalition government.
AK Party-MHP coalition talks end without result

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has announced that his Justice and Development (AK) Party's negotiations with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have ended without an agreement to form a coalition government, Anadolu Agency reported.

Davutoglu addressed reporters at a press conference at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara on Monday following negotiations with MHP leader Devlet Bahceli.

"However, MHP leader Devlet Bahceli said [MHP] would not support any coalition government, short-term reform government, minority government or early election," Davutoglu said.

The meeting comes after talks between Davutoglu's AK Party and the second-placed Republican People's Party (CHP) ended without an agreement last week.

It took place at Bahceli's office at the Turkish parliament and lasted for nearly two-and-a-half hours.

Davutoglu said the two leaders discussed the four main conditions of MHP, which are ending the solution process with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), further investigation in corruption allegations against former AK Party ministers, position of the the Turkish presidency and the protection of the principle of separation of powers.

"Although I desired it a lot there are no grounds to form a government partnership with MHP or CHP," Davutoglu added.

When the deadline to form a government expires on Aug. 23, either Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan or the parliament may decide to hold a new election. If the president issues the decision, then polling is supposed to be held in the first Sunday following a 90-day period starting from the end of the first deadline.

In the current set of circumstances, this scenario suggests renewed polling in November.

However, if the parliament makes the decision for a new election, then the Supreme Election Board can reduce this 90-day period by as much as half.

The last coalition talks in Turkey were made 16 years ago, when the Democratic Left Party (DSP) of late premier Bulent Ecevit failed to win the majority in the general election on April 18, 1999.

Since 2002, the AK Party won three general elections to continue a single-party rule for well over a decade, which ended after the June 7 elections this year produced no majority government.

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