Opposition parties to complete parliamentary system roadmap by December

Photo: AA

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Opposition parties plan to announce the principles they agree on about what they call an "enforced parliamentary system," main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and İYİ (Good) Party Chair Meral Akşener announced yesterday (October 20).

Visiting Kılıçdaroğlu at his party's headquarters in Ankara, the capital, Akşener conveyed him a draft text prepared by her party, Akşener said during a joint press conference after the meeting.

"We think consultations are very valuable in terms of creating solutions for Turkey," Akşener said. "We are pleased that the four parties of the Nation Alliance [CHP, İYİ Party, Felicity Party (SP) and Democratic Party (DP)] have brought the concept of consultation back to Turkey's agenda."

Apart from the four allied parties, two splinter movements from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party and the Future Party (GP) also participated in the discussions to lay out a roadmap for a return to a parliamentary system.

The CHP and the İYİ Party have parliamentary groups while the SP, DP, DEVA have one MP each. The GP is not represented in the parliament.

Turkey switched to the presidential system after a referendum in 2017. Since then, the opposition has criticized the system for weakening the parliament and undermining judicial independence by granting unchecked powers to the president. (DŞ/VK)