Türkiye's opposition reunites, names Kılıçdaroğlu candidate

Kılıçdaroğlu giving a speech with Akşener, Davutoğlu, Babacan and Karamollaoğlu behind him. (Photo: AA)

Türkiye's opposition alliance, known as the "Table of Six," has declared Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), their presidential candidate.

The announcement comes after a meeting of the six leaders at the headquarters of the Felicity (Saadet) Party in Ankara, the capital.

Saadet leader Temel Karamollaoğlu announced that the six leaders had agreed to nominate Kılıçdaroğlu.

The CHP leader then took the floor to give a brief speech, saying, "Our greatest goal is to bring Türkiye to peaceful and joyful days. God willing, we'll achieve this together.

"As the Nation's Alliance, we'll rule Türkiye with consensus and consultation. We have agreed on ... a switch to the reinforced parliamentary system."

If he is elected, the five other leaders will be vice presidents, Kılıçdaroğlu also noted.

The CHP leader will rival President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of what is widely anticipated as his most difficult elections in his two-decade rule amid an economic crisis and rhe devastation caused by last month's powerful earthquakes.

While the presidential and parliamentary elections are formally scheduled for June 18, Erdoğan has been expressing his intentions to bring the polls forward to May 14.

The alliance reunites

Today's announcement also marks the end of a dispute between the CHP and Meral Akşener's Good (İYİ) Party, the second-largest party in the alliance.

After a Thursday meeting, five leaders agreed on Kılıçdaroğlu's candidacy, whereas Akşener insisted that one of the mayors of Ankara or İstanbul should be the joint candidate, citing their popularity in election polls. This prompted Akşener to announce her party's decision to leave the alliance a day later.

However, today, the two mayors, who previously rejected Akşener's call for candicacy, visited the İYİ Party leader to persuade her to return to the alliance. While the meeting was underway, the five other leaders delayed their final meeting before declaring their candidate for about two hours in case Akşener accepted returning to the bloc, which eventually happened.

The Table of Six

The six-party bloc comprises the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the İYİ (Good) Party, the Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party, the Gelecek (Future) Party, the Saadet (Felicity) Party and the Democratic Party (DP).

Leaders of the parties had their first round table meeting on February 22, 2022, to address the country's problems and discuss solutions.

On February 28, they signed a memorandum of understanding to switch to what they called an "enforced parliamentary system" after the elections. Such a change would require the opposition bloc to have a three-fifth majority in the parliament, which is not likely according to election polls.

The DEVA Party, led by former deputy PM Ali Babacan, and the Gelecek Party, led by former PM Ahmet Davutoğlu, are the two splinter movements from the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The Saadet Party also shares the same Islamic roots with the AKP, which has been in power for over 20 years.

İYİ Party is a splinter movement from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the allies of the ruling party.

The four parties other than the CHP and the İYİ Party have no significant popular support, with their voting rates below 3 percent, according to most election polls. However, their support may prove crucial for the opposition ahead of what is anticipated to be a close race.

(VK)