An alliance of six Turkish opposition parties presented a joint program ahead of the May elections. The opposition, which is rallying against the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has vowed to limit the president’s powers.
Six opposition parties want to run against President Erdogan with a joint candidate for the presidential and parliamentary elections, which are expected to be held on May 14, but so far they have not been able to unite on this matter. The joint candidate is expected to be announced on February 13.
According to the presented electoral program, if the alliance wins the elections, it wants to change the presidential system back to a parliamentary system, strengthen the rule of law and freedom of the press, and limit the power of the president.
The president should no longer have the right to issue decrees, should not be a member of a political party, and his mandate should be limited to seven years. The opposition wants to annul many of the powers that Erdogan acquired in own two decades long reign.
The alliance also announced that it will fight against inflation of more than 60 percent. The goal is to permanently reduce inflation to single digits within two years, they wrote. They also want to ensure the restoration of the central bank’s independence, which critics accuse of politicization.
They also committed to Turkey’s membership in the European Union and reinforced Turkey’s membership in NATO.
Six-party the alliance includes, among others, the largest opposition party CHP and the National Conservative Party Iyi.
The upcoming elections are considered the most important in Turkey in recent years and will be a major challenge for President Erdogan, who has been in power for 20 years. He was elected Prime Minister in 2003, and since 2014 he has been the President of the country. In May, he will run for a third term, which, according to the opposition, is not in accordance with the constitution, which allows a third candidacy only if early elections are called.
Erdogan’s supporters point out that he was elected president in 2018 under the new presidential system in accordance with extensive constitutional reforms. They also add that his presidential term in 2014 does not count towards the quota of two. Constitutional lawyers are divided on this issue.
Source: Rtvslo