MHP presents conditions for formation of coalition with the AKP

Umut Erdem - ANKARA

CİHAN Photo

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) head Devlet Bahçeli has presented three main conditions for the formation of a coalition government with the Justice and Development Party (AKP), with an emphasis on stopping the Kurdish peace process, further probing corruption and graft allegations against former AKP ministers and restricting the actions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to within his constitutional boundaries.“We can talk about forming a coalition with the AKP if the peace process is fully abandoned, if corruption and graft claims revealed on Dec 17 and 25 [2013] are taken to court and if Erdoğan returns to his constitutional boundaries,” Bahçeli said, in an interview with the EtikHaber website late June 16.The June 7 election results should be well read by the AKP leadership, Bahçeli said, adding Erdoğan’s ambitious public rallies did not prove advantageous for the AKP and it’s time for Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to free himself from the president’s tutelage.A large number of AKP voters shifted to the MHP in the June 7 polls, Bahçeli said, arguing his party would get even more votes if the polls were repeated. “This is because our people have realized that the AKP will no longer be a one-party government and have chosen the MHP as its alternative,” he claimed.There is no need to be afraid of coalition governments and the best option will surely be found after consultations and discussions, the nationalist leader said, adding the MHP will take responsibility to ensure Turkey is not left without a government.“We of course believe a coalition should be formed by the parties whose policies and positions are overlapping. This is a must for harmony. We have no intention to create difficulty. We are also not trying to escape responsibility by creating difficulty. If they [other parties] fail, we will not leave Turkey without an option,” he said.However, he repeated the MHP will never approve a coalition including the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), underlining his opposition to the formation of a minority party either.Bahçeli also openly expressed his opposition to Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s description of a “60 percent bloc” composed of the three parties who received 60 percent of the votes in the election, namely the CHP, the MHP and the HDP.“For us, this [bloc] is an empty word. If a government would be formed only by calculating their percentages, that means principles, ethics have no place at all. How can we stand together with a party affiliated with a terror organization that killed newborn babies in their cradles?” Bahçeli asked, in reference to the Kurdish problem-focused HDP, which shares grassroots with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).“The CHP chairman is looking at the issues from a very wrong angle,” he said.Having refuted forming a coalition government with the CHP because of the HDP’s involvement, Bahçeli left the doors open to the AKP, but underlined his very strong conditions.“We do not want Turkey to live through political ambiguity. We will not hesitate to take responsibility. But the AKP should first face its past. It should give an account of its years of rule,” he said.The MHP will not be part of a coalition government without receiving assurances on its conditions, Bahçeli said. “Will we sit in government seats while thieves are free? Is that so? Those who give and receive bribes will continue their actions under the title of foundations and we’ll occupy these seats? We’ll enjoy driving red-plated cars while Turkishness and Turkish people are pressured by the treason [of the Kurdish peace process]? There is no such world!” he said.Bahçeli indicated Erdoğan was trying to create the conditions needed for early elections by blaming the opposition parties and urged Davutoğlu to break ties with the president. “New conspiracy plans are being made through putting the blame over potential economic risks and problems on the opposition. Mr. Davutoğlu should now declare his autonomy and break his ties with Erdoğan. Mr. Davutoğlu has sufficient capacity and ability to carry out his agenda and objectives as the chairman of the AKP,” he said.On the developments along the Turkish-Syrian border, Bahçeli urged the government to announce the formation of a security belt in the region in order to protect both its borders and the security of Turkmens in Syria. “This so-called Kurdistan corridor between northern Iraq and the Mediterranean is a chemical bomb thrown at Turkey. This is a national issue and above parties,” he said.