MHP will compete as part of People's Alliance, but fields its candidates for MP in seperate list

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The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) president Devlet Bahçeli rejected claims that his party will compete in the May 14 elections under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) lists. 

Posting several tweets today, Bahçeli reminded that the Great Unity Party (BBP) and the New Welfare Party (YRP), the other two political parties in the People's Alliance were to participate in the elections under their own names and emblems. 

The MHP leader said that being "up to" or "resorting to" preparing a joint list would not be the correct, sound, or reasonable option. 

Cumhur İttifakı'nı teşkil eden 2 partinin kendi adıyla, amblemiyle ve adaylarıyla seçime katılmaları söz konusu iken, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi'nin ortak liste hazırlığına teşne olması ve buna tevessül etmesi doğru, mantıklı ve makul bir seçenek olamayacaktır.

— Devlet Bahçeli (@dbdevletbahceli) March 28, 2023

 "The Nationalist Movement Party will be in the democratic competition with its three crescents, with the party's valuable candidates for MP in all electoral districts," Bahçeli wrote in his tweets.

He also wrote that these claims in the last few days were being made "to pull the carpet from under the feet of MHP, in order to disregard its 54 years of history and experience."  

Some journalists commented after Bahçeli's tweets that this move eliminates the relative advantages of the amended election law.

Amendments made in the election law last year will be implemented in the May 14 elections for the first time. These are generally evaluated as being designed to give relative advantages to the People's Alliance against the opposition. 

The Nation Alliance of six opposition parties, which later nominated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as the joint presidential candidate, had agreed to bring the elections, normally scheduled for June 18, forward but with the condition that it should be held before April 6 when the amendments in the election law will enter into force. 

The presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for June were brought forward to May 14 with the decision of President Erdoğan, then approved by the Parliament.

Bahçeli also reiterated in his tweets today that their presidential candidate is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He wrote that they will continue their efforts, by all means, to re-elect incumbent President Erdoğan. (AEK/PE)