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| Turkish PM's coalition talks collapse as deadline approaches | Turkish PM's coalition talks collapse as deadline approaches |
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| Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, is expected to give up on his attempts to form a new government after coalition talks with opposition parties collapsed. | Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, is expected to give up on his attempts to form a new government after coalition talks with opposition parties collapsed. |
| He is set to return his mandate to form a government to the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Tuesday evening, days before the Sunday deadline. | |
| Under the terms of the constitution, if no government is formed by 23 August, Erdoğan must dissolve Davutoğlu’s caretaker cabinet and call on an interim power-sharing government – composed equally of all four parties in parliament – to lead Turkey to a new election in the autumn. | Under the terms of the constitution, if no government is formed by 23 August, Erdoğan must dissolve Davutoğlu’s caretaker cabinet and call on an interim power-sharing government – composed equally of all four parties in parliament – to lead Turkey to a new election in the autumn. |
| Davutoğlu’s AK party lost its parliamentary majority in an election in June, leaving it unable to govern alone for the first time since it came to power in 2002. | Davutoğlu’s AK party lost its parliamentary majority in an election in June, leaving it unable to govern alone for the first time since it came to power in 2002. |
| Another possibility would be for Erdoğan to hand a new mandate to form a government to the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s party (CHP), which received the second highest number of votes in June. | Another possibility would be for Erdoğan to hand a new mandate to form a government to the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s party (CHP), which received the second highest number of votes in June. |
| On Monday Davutoğlu’s last-ditch efforts to form a coalition government with the Nationalist Movement party (MHP) broke down. The MHP leader, Devlet Bahçeli, put an end to all partnership negotiations, underlining that his party was also unwilling to be part of an interim government. | On Monday Davutoğlu’s last-ditch efforts to form a coalition government with the Nationalist Movement party (MHP) broke down. The MHP leader, Devlet Bahçeli, put an end to all partnership negotiations, underlining that his party was also unwilling to be part of an interim government. |
| “Bahçeli said he doesn’t consider a coalition with the AKP possible,” Davutoğlu said at a press conference. “He said [his party] would be present in parliament in the event of a vote on an early election but would not support such a decision.” | “Bahçeli said he doesn’t consider a coalition with the AKP possible,” Davutoğlu said at a press conference. “He said [his party] would be present in parliament in the event of a vote on an early election but would not support such a decision.” |
| Bahçeli earlier reiterated his party’s desire to end the peace process with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), investigate corruption claims against Erdoğan, his family members and senior AKP officials, and curb Erdoğan’s aspirations to more executive power in a presidential system. | |
| Before the failure to form a partnership with the MHP, Davutoğlu met the CHP leader, Kemal Kilicdaroğlu, to discuss the possibility of a grand coalition. But these efforts fell short last Thursday. | Before the failure to form a partnership with the MHP, Davutoğlu met the CHP leader, Kemal Kilicdaroğlu, to discuss the possibility of a grand coalition. But these efforts fell short last Thursday. |
| Meanwhile, Selahattin Demirtas, co-chair of the leftist pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic party (HDP), signalled that the HDP was open to the idea of joining an interim government until the autumn. He also proposed a referendum about the constitutional change necessary to install the executive presidency that Erdoğan has long been lobbying for. | Meanwhile, Selahattin Demirtas, co-chair of the leftist pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic party (HDP), signalled that the HDP was open to the idea of joining an interim government until the autumn. He also proposed a referendum about the constitutional change necessary to install the executive presidency that Erdoğan has long been lobbying for. |
| “In a possible election, we could hold a referendum to ask people a single question: do you want a presidential system or not?” Demirtas told the press before a party meeting on Tuesday. | |
| Critics have accused Erdoğan of pushing for early elections in an attempt to sideline the HDP, who for the first time managed to surmount Turkey’s unusually high 10% threshold in the June elections, thus sending 80 MPs to parliament and granting the country’s Kurds unprecedented political representation. The HDP’s success was a major factor in the loss of the AKP’s parliamentary majority and the crushing of Erdoğan’s hopes for constitutional change. | Critics have accused Erdoğan of pushing for early elections in an attempt to sideline the HDP, who for the first time managed to surmount Turkey’s unusually high 10% threshold in the June elections, thus sending 80 MPs to parliament and granting the country’s Kurds unprecedented political representation. The HDP’s success was a major factor in the loss of the AKP’s parliamentary majority and the crushing of Erdoğan’s hopes for constitutional change. |
| Erdoğan and the AKP stepped up their rhetoric against the HDP and the PKK after the June elections. Ankara has since taken on a more active role in the international coalition fighting Islamic State in neighbouring Syria. | |
| The government has also launched a military campaign against the PKK, with air raids targeting PKK positions in Turkey and northern Iraq, derailing shaky peace negotiations that started in 2012. In turn the militant Kurdish group launched attacks on Turkish security forces. Violence in the country has soared and many believe that Erdoğan wants to stir up anti-Kurdish and anti-HDP sentiments in an effort to woo nationalist voters. | The government has also launched a military campaign against the PKK, with air raids targeting PKK positions in Turkey and northern Iraq, derailing shaky peace negotiations that started in 2012. In turn the militant Kurdish group launched attacks on Turkish security forces. Violence in the country has soared and many believe that Erdoğan wants to stir up anti-Kurdish and anti-HDP sentiments in an effort to woo nationalist voters. |
| Recent polls suggest that fresh elections are likely to produce another hung parliament. | Recent polls suggest that fresh elections are likely to produce another hung parliament. |