Six opposition leaders gather for second meeting

The leaders of six opposition parties, aiming to bring back parliamentary democracy and scrap the executive presidential system, have gathered for a second time at a meeting hosted by Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party leader Ali Babacan.

Monday March 28 2022 11:06 am

Duvar English

The leaders of six opposition parties have gathered for a second time following a declaration they signed to return to a “strengthened parliamentary system” in the event of their victory in the upcoming elections in 2023.

The meeting was hosted on March 27 by Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party leader Ali Babacan and attended by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener, Felicity (Saadet) Party head Temel Karamollaoğlu, Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu and Democrat Party chair Gültekin Uysal.

The leaders discussed a proposed draft bill by the ruling alliance - the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) - which seeks to lower the election threshold from 10 percent to 7 percent.

In a joint statement, the leaders said they would not be “affected by such political engineering. We are determined to continue our cooperation in harmony.”

The leaders said another working group was established to work on what they called "electoral safety," adding that they also discussed the economic crisis.

They also touched on the war in Ukraine. “Stability and peace have come under threat after the Russian Federation’s violation of international law and attack on Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” the statement said.

Separately, it added that their aim is to end Turkey’s “deep problems” and ensure welfare for all citizens.

“We are determined to take Turkey out of its dark days. Our faith in the future and our hopes are much larger than Turkey’s problems,” it said.

“Our headquarters hosted a meeting tonight that will go down in the history of democracy. We have held a very productive meeting with valuable leaders over the transition to the Strengthened Parliamentary System which we agreed to. I thank the leaders,” Babacan said in a tweet on March 28.

Genel merkezimiz bu akşam demokrasi tarihine geçecek bir buluşmaya ev sahipliği yaptı.

Güçlendirilmiş Parlamenter Sistem’e geçiş üzerinde uzlaştığımız değerli genel başkanlarla oldukça verimli bir toplantı gerçekleştirdik.

Sayın genel başkanlara teşekkür ediyorum. pic.twitter.com/UWZZdaUsPq
— Ali Babacan (@alibabacan) March 27, 2022

The leaders signed the declaration on Feb. 28, pledging to bring back a parliamentary democracy and scrap the executive presidential system introduced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2018.