(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leaderKemal Klçdaroluhas said his party is ready for any snap election if the government opts for such a move, vowing it is “ready for all circumstances.”
“If the government wants, it can call for an early election. We are ready for all circumstances. The operation staged against [former prime minister Ahmet] Davutolu has created serious discontent in the [Justice and Development Party] AKP base and its conscience,” Klçdarolu told private broadcaster NTV on May 25.
“[Davutolu] was elected with 49 percent of the votes. He said he was leading a successful premiership, working to give sincere messages to all sides. But he was thrown out of office for reasons outside of his control and against his will. This has created serious discontent among the [AKP] base,” added theCHPleader.
Klçdarolu also denied allegations that he had intervened in his party’s deputies to prevent them from voting against the controversial legal amendment lifting the immunities of some MPs – a move largely targeting the Kurdish problem-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP).
“I did not intervene ... Our deputy friends acted totally with their own common sense,” he said.
CHP lawmakers were divided over whether or not to support the amendment that passed comfortably on May 20 and thus paved the way for prosecution of a total of 139 lawmakers, who have over 500 cases pending against them. While 20CHPlawmakers are thought to have voted in favor of the amendment in the second round of voting, the remained objected to the amendment, leading to speculation that they would support the HDP’s petition campaign to take the amendment to the Constitutional Court.
Klçdarolu said he did not think it was right for the HDP to go to the top court.
“A deputy whose immunity has been lifted can appeal to the Constitutional Court individually within one week. The Constitutional Court gives its decision within 15 days. So when there is such an option, why are we choosing a path that would take longer?” he added.
TheCHPhead himself faces possible prosecution following the passing of the amendment, but he told NTV that he “feels no need” to appeal to the Constitutional Court yet.