ANKARA
Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli has agreed to meet with PM Ahmet Davutoglu after the latter requested a meeting following the failed coalition talks between the Justice and Development (AK) Party and the Republican People's Party (CHP) Thursday.
"The Nationalist Movement Party is open to meeting with AK Party, with the previous conditions reserved and final," Bahceli said.
"We are still not open to a minority or election government [transition government ahead of early parliamentary elections] though," he said, adding there was "no turning back" on this issue.
Davutoglu's AK Party had been seeking a coalition partner after no party won a simple majority in the June 7 general election, but the PM announced earlier on Thursday that no agreement to form a coalition government had been found with CHP leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Davutoglu had met with Bahceli on July 14 as part of the first round of coalition talks. Following the meeting, Davutoglu told reporters that the MHP had opted not to take part in a coalition government.
"[Bahceli] spoke to reiterate his stance of staying out of a coalition partnership," he said, adding that the two agreed to meet again in a second round of talks if necessary.
Bahceli issued a written statement Monday, calling for an immediate formation of a coalition government between the AK Party and the CHP.
"These two parties should not avoid taking the big responsibility that history has put them in front of and should show their will and attention to form a government in line with national interests," Bahceli said.
He also urged the two parties to hold coalition negotiations "without behaving reluctantly or having imaginary discussions involving infertile standoffs".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had asked Davutoglu to form a new government on July 9, and negotiations between the AK Party and the second-placed CHP had been going on since July 13.
The MHP won 80 seats in the Parliament, and combined with the 258 seats of AK Party, the two parties could easily forge a coalition, as only 276 seats are required to establish one.
When the deadline to form a government expires on Aug. 23, either Erdogan or the parliament may decide to hold a new election. If the president issues the decision, then polling is supposed to be held the first Sunday following a 90-day period starting from the end of the first deadline.
In the current set of circumstances, this scenario suggests renewed polling in November.
However, if the parliament makes the decision for a new election, then the Supreme Election Board can cut this 90-day period by as much as half.
The previous coalition talks in Turkey were made 16 years ago, when the Democratic Left Party (DSP) of late premier Bulent Ecevit failed to win the majority in the general election on April 18, 1999.
