CHP, İYİ Party agree on not making any mistakes since 'AKP is on its way out'

Duvar English

Turkey's ruling government is bound to lose in the upcoming elections scheduled for 2023, and the opposition can't afford to make any mistakes in this process, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and opposition Good (İYİ) Party leader Meral Akşener agreed in a meeting on Oct. 20.

The two leaders' meeting comes as a continuation of the efforts between their parties, as opposition politicians have been gathering routinely to discuss a return to a parliamentary system. 

The leaders noted that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its alliance partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have been trying to veil the shrink in their voter base by creating "conflict, confusion" among the opposition, Gazete Duvar's Nergis Demirkaya reported. 

The meeting was the first among the leaders after Akşener said she was eyeing the seat of prime minister after the upcoming elections, and Kılıçdaroğlu said that there could be multiple presidential candidates among the opposition.

"The government is on its way out, but we can't afford any mistakes as the opposition," Akşener reportedly said. "We can't give off an image of disorder." 

Kılıçdaroğlu supported the İYİ Party leader's statement, adding that his concerns about political assassinations also required all opposition members to act carefully. 

Kılıçdaroğlu previously said that his concerns about political assassinations are based on comments by the president that more events like the verbal attack on Akşener in May would follow in the coming days. 

Expansion of the opposition block

Separately, the daily Cumhuriyet reported that they had received reports of efforts to include the six opposition parties discussing an enforced parliamentary system to the Nation Alliance. 

Reports from party officials following Akşener and Kılıçdaroğlu’s meeting indicated that a new opposition block could emerge from the CHP and İYİ Party's current Nation Alliance.

The two opposition parties have been speaking with representatives from Felicity Party (Saadet), Democrat Party (DP), former prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's Future Party and former deputy prime minister Ali Babacan's Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA).