MILANO
The outcome of the June 7 Turkish elections should be perceived as a call for coalition rather than for a snap election, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Thursday.
On his return to Turkey from the Expo Milano opening, Zeybekci said: “By voting 41 percent for the Justice and Development (Ak) Party, our nation says that we give you the task of establishing a government and governing the country, but you must take a partner or make compromises.” Zeybekci said.
“This is a one-sentence summary of the elections. We understand it well. The conclusion of this election is a coalition. Early elections have never been on our agenda,” he added.
The Ak Party is ready to negotiate with all political parties without preconditions, Zeybekci said. He added that he expects Ak Party leader Ahmet Davutoglu to initiate the government formation process in the first week of July after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assigns him with the task.
“Nobody should stipulate. They should be constructive. Voters asked for it. They said: 'be constructive, reconciliatory and form a government in unity and solidarity.' We understood it well. I hope other political parties show that they understood it well too in these negotiations.” Zeybekci noted.
Turkey’s leading business associations met with the political parties on Wednesday, and urged the rapid formation of a coalition government, as prolonged uncertainty and a possible snap election would further harm economy.
Zeybekci said that he sees this initiative as encouraging for political parties to form a government.
“But there should not be preconditions like -a moment ago, immediately, at once. And adding negative statements about the economy next to that is unfair to the Turkish economy.” he warned.
