Turkish opposition’s memo pledges to deport Syrian refugees
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, the coalition of six parties of the Turkish opposition known as the ‘Table of Six’ announced in a press conference it reached a memorandum that among others includes returning Syrian refugees in case they win the presidential elections.
The joint 240-page program introduces more than 200 amendments which the opposition pledges to put into action in case it wins the elections next summer.
Turkey houses around 3.7 million Syrian refugees. The opposition has for long been pledging to deport them and make peace with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should it seize power, trying to gain popular support amid growing anti-refugee sentiment among Turkish people.
In light of the prevailing anti-Syrian sentiment among the Turkish electorate, the Syrian refugees has become a tool to win votes, making the Syrian refugee the only victim in the end.
The opposition also intends to return to the parliamentarian system.
“We will shift to a Strengthened Parliamentary System for a strong, liberal, democratic and just system in which the separation of powers is established,” Faik Oztrak, a deputy head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said.
However, the coalition failed to name a joint candidate to run against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AKP party since November 2002 with CHP’s leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu most likely to run against Erdogan. That could be decided on February 13.
The ‘Table of Six’, which officially changed its name to the National Alliance, includes secularists, nationalists, Islamists, and liberals.
It is made up of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the nationalist Good Party (IYI), the center-right Democrat Party (DP), the Muslim-conservative Felicity Party (SP), the liberal Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) and the conservative Future Party (GELECEK).
Erdogan has been in power since 2003 serving both as prime minister and president.