Turkish Pm Davutoğlu To Meet MHP Leader On Aug 17

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will meet Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli on Aug. 17 to discuss coalition government options, even though the nationalist leader has consistently said his party wants no part of an interim government or a minority government.

The meeting was arranged soon after Davutoğlu said a fresh election now appeared to be the only option after last-ditch negotiations between his Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Republican People's Party (CHP) yielded no deal, prompting him to ask for an appointment with Bahçeli.

"The Nationalist Movement Party is open to meeting with the AKP, with the previous conditions reserved and final" Bahçeli said in a written statement released late Aug. 13.

The MHP leader added they were still not open to a minority or election government – a transitional government ahead of snap elections.

The MHP was open to meeting with the AKP, albeit with its previous preconditions, he said, adding that before that meeting, his party wanted to see Davutoğlu turn his back on "manipulations" by President Tayyip Erdoğan. The CHP and the AKP disappointed the expectations of the nation, Bahçeli said.

The prime minister "intentionally played for time" in coalition talks, Bahçeli said. He stressed nobody should expect the MHP to show indulgence or support to carry their political agenda or "insidious account" into effect.

Davutoğlu has until Aug. 23 to find a junior coalition partner or Erdoğan, who founded the AKP, could call a snap election.

In the current set of circumstances, Davutoğlu has hinted at snap elections. If parliament makes the decision for a new election, then the Supreme Election Board can cut this 90-day period by as much as half.

The MHP has said it does not favor a coalition with the ruling party, but had earlier implied it could support a short-lived minority AKP government as long as it leads to a quick election.

Meanwhile, Erdoğan said he would not talk with Bahçeli. "The comments he has made about myself and regarding my family go beyond the boundaries of decency." - Ankara