Turkey's Main Opposition Head Outlines Coalition Principles, Emphasizes "60 Percent Bloc"

Republican People's Party (CHP) head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has clearly outlined his party's principles for their involvement in the formation of a potential coalition government, as he indicated readiness for a coalition which would reflect the will of the majority of the people, what he dubbed as "the 60 percent bloc" which was roughly equal to the sum of the votes of all three opposition parties.

"If we embrace all segments of society and deliver warm messages, then we would also take very important steps for representation of peace in the country too. After the election, a balance of 40 percent and 60 percent has emerged, a balance which has been presented by society" said Kılıçdaroğlu of the social-democratic CHP, which received the second highest number of votes in the June 7 parliamentary election.

According to the preliminary results of the June 7 election, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) received 40.87 percent of the total, the CHP won 24.96 percent, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) got 18.29 percent and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) finished with 13.12 percent.

Accordingly, the AKP will have 258 seats in the 550-seat parliament, the CHP will have 132 seats, and the MHP and the HDP will have 80 seats apiece.

Having lost their parliamentary majority, the AKP was expected to engage in coalition negotiations with the other parties.

"All parties need not to overlook this balance. And the main duty falls on the shoulders of the 60 percent bloc" Kılıçdaroğlu said at a press conference on June 15, delivering his first public remarks since a brief statement on the night of June 7.

"If we want to present a will in line with society's expectations and which doesn't ignore them, then we are to form a government in line with the expectations of the 60 percent group" he underlined.

The CHP leader, meanwhile, also made clear his remarks, which came a week after the election, were not meant to refer to a prospective future election.

"When I am saying all of this, I am not laying emphasis on the next election" he said, in an unveiled reference and response to recently delivered remarks by President Tayyip Erdoğan.

Erdoğan said a snap election would be "inevitable" if both the AKP and the CHP fail in efforts to form a new government within the constitutional limit of 45 days.

Erdoğan said he planned to grant a mandate to form a new government first to the AKP.

"Let's say the party who came first in the election could not achieve this [to form a government] and neither did the second one... In such a case, going to the ballot box again as per the constitution would be inevitable" Erdoğan said, after noting he planned to grant a mandate to form a new government first to the AKP.

"I don't call this a snap poll but a re-run" he added. - Istanbul