Turkey PM says to seek coalition government after poll setback

Turkey’s ruling party will hold talks with the opposition on forming a coalition government, after it lost its overall parliament majority in legislative elections, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday.

However he warned that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) would consider every option, such as early elections, if the discussions fail.

“Only the AKP will lead the coalition talks but if others block the road we will think of every option,” he said in a live televised interview, in a veiled reference to possible snap new polls.

Davutoglu said he was prepared to meet with all of the three other opposition parties who won seats in parliament, including the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP).

“I will sincerely meet with every opposition party. We have no red lines.”

“We always said a coalition is not the best option but if the people make such a choice, what falls on us is to do the best of it.”

The AKP lost its overall majority in Sunday’s polls, in what was seen as a major blow for the Islamic-rooted AKP which has ruled Turkey for the last 13 years.

The election results meant the AKP will have 258 seats in a hung 550-seat parliament, the CHP Republican People’s Party (CHP) 132, and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the HDP 80 apiece.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday held a surprise meeting with senior CHP politician Deniz Baykal, who said the Turkish strongman was open to a coalition government to stave off the threat of political turmoil.

Erdogan had hoped the AKP would win a super majority to enable it to push through a new constitution that would give him reinforced powers as president, but this plan has now been scuttled for the foreseeable future.

source:AFP