CHP accelerates presidential consultations, denies delay in process

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will meet leaders of other opposition parties starting from Monday next week, dismissing claims that the opposition is leaving it late in appointing its candidate for the upcoming presidential elections.

“Are we too late? No, we are not. The process shows one point: We should bring a name known by the public. There are so many people unknown to people whose qualifications perfectly suit the presidency, but unfortunately this process obliges us to introduce candidates better known by the people,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in an interview with private broadcaster Habertürk on June 5. 

The CHP leader ruled out his own candidacy, just as Devlet Bahçeli, the head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) recently did, and stressed that the head of the nation must be non-partisan and embrace all segments of society. Kılıçdaroğlu and Bahçeli met last week to discuss whether the two opposition parties could agree on a joint candidate. 

“I will be in Germany this weekend and will again meet political party representatives next week. I think we will speedily announce our decision after this,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, adding that he would hold his first meeting with the Peoples’ Democracy Party (HDP) on Monday.

“I have already announced: The next president should not be determined in polarization. The opposition on the one side and the government on the other … I do not find this right. The correct thing is to create a societal consensus. In the case of polarization, those who vote for the other candidate feel discriminated. This country has suffered a lot from this sort of...