BBP Seeking Coalition With Opposition MHP For June Elections

Grand Unity Party (BBP) leader Mustafa Destici has asked for an appointment to meet with opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, raising speculation that the BBP is trying to convince the opposition party to run in the upcoming June parliamentary elections as a coalition.

Destici said on Saturday that he asked for the appointment because he wants to present his congratulations to Bahçeli, who was re-elected as leader of the MHP during the party's 11th ordinary congress on March 21. However, some sources within the BBP have revealed that the BBP will express its desire to run in the election together with the MHP as a coalition.

Bahçeli had earlier said that his party would not construct any electoral coalition, but he had also added that their “gates are open to anyone who wishes to come.”

According to the sources, Destici will share the results of some public surveys regarding potential vote percentages that a possible BBP-MHP coalition could receive in the upcoming parliamentary elections with Bahçeli during their meeting. The surveys reportedly say that such a coalition could receive approximately 22 percent of the vote. Destici will reportedly also tell Bahçeli that both political parties have a responsibility to history to build a coalition for the elections, considering Turkey's current political situation.

Destici also earlier said that his party is open to alliances with other parties ahead of the June 7 elections to prevent the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) from taking ever-greater control.

“Our citizens are in search of new alternatives as the current government's actions do not follow its words. Thus, we cannot just ignore the citizens' demand for election alliances. We, as the Grand Unity Party, are open to election alliances, as we only work for the sake of our nation,” said Destici at a conference held on March 8, making the first move in the search for party alliances and mergers ahead of the election.

According to Turkish media reports, the BBP also wants to include the Felicity Party (SP) in a possible coalition to be established with the MHP.

Parties at risk of not individually passing the 10 percent national election threshold are now searching for election alliances, and those expected to win seats in Parliament are being somewhat slow to respond to attempts to unite. According to experts, significant effort must be put into creating election alliances between parties such as the BBP and the SP, as they are unlikely to pass the threshold alone.

When asked about a possible coalition to be established between the MHP and the BBP during a press conference on Saturday, BBP Vice Chairman Hakkı Öznur said that it is the demand of the Turkish nation to establish such an electoral coalition. He further said that some electoral surveys say such a coalition could receive more than 20 percent of the vote and suggested it could even increase to 30 percent with an effective electoral campaign. Öznur also claimed that the AK Party will be defeated in the elections if such a coalition is established between the BBP and the opposition MHP.(Cihan/Today's Zaman)

SHOTLIST
TURKEY, ISTANBUL, 29 MAR 2015

VAR of Destici's remarks
Attendees of the meeting

DURATION: 02:31