- Title: TURKEY-POLITICS AK Party and CHP delegates complete initial coalition talks
- Date: 3rd August 2015
- Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (AUGUST 3, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF DELEGATIONAL TALKS UNDERWAY HEAD OF MAIN OPPOSITION REPUBLICAN PEOPLE'S PARTY (CHP) DELEGATION, HALUK KOC, ARRIVING FOR A STATEMENT MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF CHP DELEGATION, HALUK KOC, SAYING: "From now on, the decision will be made by the head of caretaker government,
- Embargoed: 18th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Turkey
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA73TWDTOX6EP2I2D5MA4PBLJWS
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The ruling AK Party, founded by President Tayyip Erdogan, held its final day of initial talks with the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP) on Monday (August 3) as it tries to find a junior coalition partner after losing its parliamentary majority in a June election.
Speaking after the final round of talks, the heads of the parties' delegations said the decision would be made by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
"From now on, the decision will be made by the head of caretaker government, our prime minister who was given the mandate to form a government. If they will request another meeting with CHP, this will be reviewed," head of the CHP delegation, Haluk Koc, said.
"We have discussed and seen everything including the issues we agreed upon, the issues we don't agree upon, the issues we can make progress on and the issues we cannot and never could agree on. We will report these results to the leaders of the two parties. We will brief the chairman of our party (Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu). He said that he would assess the outcome with the executive committee of our party. That period has now officially started," head of AK Party delegation Omer Celik added.
The June election prevented the AKP from being able to govern alone for the first time since it came to power, plunging Turkey into political uncertainty not seen since the fragile coalition governments of the 1990s. Parties have until Aug. 23 to agree a working coalition or face a new election.
The domestic uncertainty comes as Turkey carries out air strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq and Islamic State fighters in Syria, in what the government has called a "synchronised fight against terror".
President Tayyip Erdogan's opponents accuse him of launching military action against the PKK to rally nationalist support and undermine the pro-Kurdish opposition, whose strong showing in the June election helped deprive the AKP of its majority.
The government says the campaign against the PKK, which has left a peace process on the brink of collapse, was launched in response to a series of killings of military and police officers blamed on the Kurdish militants.
Erdogan has made little secret of his preference for single-party rule. Opponents say he wants another election to enable the AKP to win enough of a majority to change the constitution and grant him greater powers as an executive president.
Speaking to journalists travelling with him on a trip to Asia last week, Erdogan warned of what he saw as the dangers of fragile coalitions and extolled the virtues of single-party rule.
Four Turkish soldiers were killed and dozens were wounded in separate PKK attacks over the weekend in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast as violence escalated. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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