CHP: Hard to stand against religious, ethnic-based politics

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has put an end to speculation over the timing of next year’s parliamentary elections. “They will be held on time,” he said, adding that this would reflect the normalcy of state affairs in the country. That means the elections will probably be held on June 7, 2015, as the mandate of the current Parliament ends on June 12. So, there are slightly more than six months to go until the elections and all parties have already begun works to plan their pre-election campaigns.

Our long conversation with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and other top party officials on Wednesday revealed how the main opposition party is looking at the upcoming elections and outlining its objective and challenges. Some recent surveys have indicated a four point decrease in the votes of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), moving it down to the 40 percent margin, according to CHP officials. “One of the most important reasons is the ability of Ahmet Davutoğlu to replace Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as prime minister. He is unable to get the people’s approval as leader to the extent he was hoping. Another reason is the ongoing debate over the presidential palace,” officials stressed. The same surveys point out a small increase in the CHP’s votes, but not enough to bring it to power.

“There is no other party that has solutions to the country’s fundamental problems apart from the CHP. Our job is to deliver this to the masses. If we cannot do it, this would be down to our own ineptitude. Take the peace process; we have issued a 17-article plan for resolving the problem. Take unemployment; there is no any other political party that could introduce a sound solution to solve this....