Turkish opposition unveils manifesto
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, the coalition of six parties in opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled a 240-page election manifesto.
Among others, the document promises to strengthen the parliamentary system and the independence of the judiciary. The coalition also vowed to return to EU accession negotiations and to repair the fractured relationship with the US.
Notably, the coalition also officially changed its name to ‘National Alliance’ from ‘Table of Six’, a move which observers say reflects the shift in the balance of power towards the two largest parties in the group, the liberal-nationalist CHP and the far-right nationalist IYI.
Despite closer cooperation between the National Alliance members as elections approach in May, they has yet to put forward a candidate.
CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has hinted as stepping down from his current position. It could signify his willingness to take up the mantle of opposition leadership.
On a July 2022 poll, Kilicdaraglu beat Erdogan easily in a presidential runoff election, as did CHP politicians Ekren Imamoglu (who has since been handed a jail sentence) and Mansur Yavas, as well as IYI candidate Meral Aksener.
Yet a recent poll shared by Europe Elects suggests none could. It all points towards a highly-contested election just over three months.
Parliamentary elections will also be a key battleground. Erdogan’s AKP and its junior coalition partner, the MHP, currently have 35,7% of the electorate’s votes, says a January 2023 study. The National Alliance hovers around the 50% mark, though it is unclear whether it could achieve a majority.
Excluded from these calculations, as well as the National Alliance’s plans, is the pro-Kurdish HDP party, who currently is the second-largest opposition party in the Turkish parliament. The Turkish government has frozen is assets and is in the process of outlawing the party entirely, yet its voters may yet be kingmakers this May.