Centre-Right Parties Fail to Unite

After the True Path Party (DYP) had changed to the "Democratic Party" (DP), it was expected that the Motherland Party (ANAP) would join it on Saturday, 2 June. However, Erkan Mumcu, the leader of ANAP announced that the union would not take place.

In an emotional response to the crisis, Erkan Mumcu had implicated former ANAP leader Mesut Yılmaz in the failure of the union and had compared him to PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. Mumcu later apologized for his comments.

The crisis has led seven ANAP members to resign. At the ANAP party congress this weekend, Mumcu was reelected party leader with 722 out of 728 votes.

Democratic Party goes it alone

Vice-chairperson of the new DP, Saffet Arikan Bedük, has announced that the DP would enter the elections on its own. According to Bedük, ANAP had been expected to join them: "We had started a process of uniting the centre-right parties, which was well-intentioned and expected by the people. However, this process could not be completed. We will enter the elections on our own as the Democratic Party."

Centre-left more organized

Meanwhile, the centre-left Republican People's Party (CHP) has announced its list of candidates. Of its present 149 MPs, more than sixty are not on the list. Several people have resigned other party memberships to join the CHP.

According to its agreement with the Democratic Left Party (DSP), it is expected that the DSP will be given twelve spaces for its candidates. (NZ/EÜ/AG/EÜ)

* This news item is based on information from cnnturk.com and ntvmsnbc.com news websites.