AKP deputies seek answer to one question regarding Turkish main opposition leader
AKP deputies have asked CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu the same question over and over again during budget discussions in parliament: Will you be a presidential candidate?
Nergis Demirkaya / DUVAR
Deputies of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have asked main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu whether he will become a presidential candidate in the next elections over and over again.
"Are you a presidential candidate?" Kılıçdaroğlu was asked countless times during the budget talks in parliament on Dec. 6.
The deputies insisted on receiving an answer from the main opposition leader, who refrained from responding.
AKP deputies Ramazan Can, Metin Yavuz, Salih Cora and Alpay Özalan, as well as AKP deputy leader Numan Kurtulmuş, were among those who asked Kılıçdaroğlu whether he will be a candidate.
"I think you should be a candidate," Yavuz told Kılıçdaroğlu.
"Why are you so concerned about my candidacy?" the main opposition leader responded.
Kurtulmuş, in his address to parliament, said that he expected Kılıçdaroğlu to declare his candidacy during his speech.
"I think Kılıçdaroğlu is close to becoming a candidate, but naming him as such isn't our duty," he said.
Although elections are scheduled to be held in June 2023, opposition parties have been calling on the government to hold snap polls, citing the economic crisis in the country.
(English version by Neşe İdil)