Power pendulum swings toward new election in Turkey

In an unexpected move a day before a key meeting on coalition possibilities with Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu, the chairman of the Republican People?s Party (CHP), Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu made a call on Aug. 9 for a united political stance against violence.

Davuto?lu said ?all political leaders? should join the call to abandon arms and protect democracy. The call comes a day after the Istanbul headquarters of PM Davuto?lu?s Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) came under fire by unidentified gunmen who injured a party employee. 

The jargon of ?abandoning arms? is generally used by the government in reference to the actions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK). Davuto?lu did not mention the name of the PKK, but the move seems like an attempt to corner the Peoples? Democratic Party (HDP), which is focused on the Kurdish issue, in the Turkish parliament, since K?l?çdaro?lu?s CHP has al-ready publicly asked the PKK to stop acts of terror and abandon arms.

Davuto?lu said he was going to talk about the issue with K?l?çdaro?lu during a meeting on Aug. 10 that will also discuss coalition possibilities. The timing of the statement, though, could raise eyebrows in the CHP ranks who sus-pect that the AK Parti has just been playing with time.   

The time of the invitation from PM Davuto?lu to Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu signals a long meeting anyway. 

It is at 6 p.m. According to Turkish customs, one might think that it will be ex-tended over dinner. The meeting will be 1+1; that means only Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik, who headed the AK Parti delegation in the ?ex-ploratory? talks, and Deputy Chairman Haluk Koç of the CHP will be with their leaders. 

K?l?çdaro?lu is the one who is going to listen to the decision...