President Mustafa Akıncı has assigned the leader of the National Unity Party Hüseyin Özgürgün with the task of forming the new government.
Receiving the duty, the UBP leader said that he will try to form a strong government that will serve the interests of the public but should he fail to do so he will be handing back the duty to the President.
The move came after the leaders of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the Peoples’ Party (HP), the Social Democratic Party (TDP) and the Democrat Party (DP) expressed the view that the President should assign the task to the UBP leader until they are able to reach an agreement on forming a 4 party coalition.
The party leaders who met yesterday afternoon (23rd January) after being received separately by President Mustafa Akıncı earlier in the day announced that they will be resuming talks aimed at forming a 4-party coalition.
The CTP, the HP and the TDP have stated that they will not be engaging in coalition talks with the UBP.
Under the circumstances the UBP’s only other option is forming a 3 party coalition with the YDP and the DP, which is currently engaged in coalition talks with the CTP, the HP and the TDP.
Speaking at the end of a one hour long meeting, TDP leader Cemal Ozyiğit said even though they were calling on the President to give the task of forming the government to Özgürgün’s National Unity Party to get the ball rolling they were working hard to try and reach an agreement.
Admitting that that they still had a way to go, Özyiğit said “We are going to work without pause on trying to form a government… when we reach a result we will, openly, demand Özgurgun to return the task of forming a government.”
Also speaking, the leader of the Republican Turkish Party Tufan Erhürman said that there were times when the task of forming the government was not given to the party which won the highest number of seats in parliament.
“However Mr. Özgürgün showed us that at the moment he is willing to take up the task. The President could give him the duty if he sees fit” he said, adding that they will continue their efforts full speed.
Responding to a question, Erhürman said that they had achieved important progress in forming a coalition but that there were established practices.
The DP leader Serdar Denktaş for his part too shared the view that the established practices should be put into force.
“The party which emerged the winner should take on the task. We shall continue our talks” he said.
Responding to a question, Denktaş said that the UBP leader Hüseyin Özgürgün could request a meeting not just with his party but with the other parties as well.
Also speaking the leader of the Peoples’ Party Kudret Özersay said “We feel in the next few days we will reach some form of conclusion.”
The parties are resuming their talks today, this time at the DP headquarters.
Source: BRTK
