Türkiye's opposition alliance breaks up as key ally refuses to back Kılıçdaroğlu's candidacy

Good (İYİ) Party Chair Meral Akşener has revealed what was discussed during yesterday's (March 2) meeting between the six opposition leaders, known as the "Table of Six."

While the five other leaders agreed that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the largest party in the bloc, should run for president, Akşener refused to back him, she said at a press conference in Ankara.

She had proposed at the meeting that either İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu or Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, both members of the CHP, should have been the opposition's joint candidate, said Akşener.

"Our nation is calling you for duty," she said, addressing the mayors, noting that both of them have had a comfortable leader over President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in opinion polls.

"Personal ambitions have been preferred over the interests of our nation," said Akşener, apparently criticizing Kılıçdaroğlu for his willingness to run for president.

Yesterday, İmamoğlu ruled out runing for president, saying that he would back his party's leader. Yavaş, however, said on February 28, "If I'm nominated as the candidate, it's a duty for me."

The İYİ Party is the second-largest party in the bloc of six parties. Following Akşener's statement, several social media users who describe themselves as İYİ Party members said they would resign from the party. Some of them shared screenshots for their applications for resignation on the e-government portal.

UPDATE - CHP's Kılıçdaroğlu says no need to worry about split with ally over candidacy

The meeting

Following yesterday's meeting, the six leaders released a statement, saying that "we have reached a common understanding" regarding a presidential candidate and a "final statement" would be made on March 6. The statement did not disclose the names discussed for candidacy.

The six leaders have been holding round table meetings for over a year to lay out a roadmap for the country's return to a parliamentary system after the elections and determine a joint candidate.

The presidential and parliamentary elections are formally scheduled for June 18. However, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been expressing his intentions to bring elections forward to May 14. The elections are widely anticipated to be the most challenging ones for Erdoğan during his two-decade rule.

The Table of Six

The six-party bloc comprises the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the İYİ (Good) Party, the Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party, the Gelecek (Future) Party, the Saadet (Felicity) Party and the Democratic Party (DP).

Leaders of the parties had their first round table meeting on February 22, 2022, to address the country's problems and discuss solutions.

On February 28, they signed a memorandum of understanding to switch to what they called an "enforced parliamentary system" after the elections. Such a change would require the opposition bloc to have a three-fifth majority in the parliament, which is not likely according to election polls.

The DEVA Party, led by former deputy PM Ali Babacan, and the Gelecek Party, led by former PM Ahmet Davutoğlu, are the two splinter movements from the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The Saadet Party also shares the same Islamic roots with the AKP, which has been in power for over 20 years.

The four parties other than the CHP and the İYİ Party have no significant popular support, with their voting rates below 3 percent, according to most election polls. However, their support may prove crucial in what is anticipated to be a close race.

(VK)