Democrat Party

The leaders of the six oppositional parties held their 11th meeting on Jan. 26 to start deliberations for choosing a joint presidential candidate to race against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the mid-May polls.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan indicated in a speech on Wednesday that parliamentary and presidential elections could be held on May 14, after he said the date should be brought forward from June 18.

Speaking to lawmakers of his AK Party in parliament, Erdogan said Turks will show their reaction to the main opposition alliance on the same date that elections were held on 1950.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticized opposition parties for not being able to declare their presidential candidate even when only a few months have left for the elections.

"The nation is looking for a president who will rule the country, they are worried about six people who will rule the president," Erdoğan said on Jan. 10, addressing a meeting of craftspeople.

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener stressed that the presidential candidate of the Nation Alliance should have state experience and would pursue a parliamentary system.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said he was ready to run in the next presidential elections if other opposition parties agree on his name.

"If my name is agreed on, I am ready," he said on Sept. 5 in an interview with Fox TV when asked about his possible presidential candidacy in the next elections.

Leader of main opposition Republican People's Party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu (C), candidate of main opposition Republican People's Party for Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas and Republican People's Party candidate for Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu greet their supporters in Ankara, April 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/STRINGER.

The leaders of the six opposition parties have agreed to run in the next presidential elections with a joint candidate but without spelling out who he or she might be, in their sixth in-person meeting over the weekend.

Political party representatives exchange greetings face to face for Eid al-Adha after two years of online greetings due to pandemic restrictions.

The opposition alliance has argued that a tripartite agreement with Sweden and Finland over their admission to NATO has no concrete value other than being used for internal politics.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, İYİ (Good) Party chair Meral Akşener, Democrat Party chair Gültekin Uysal, Felicity Party head Temel Karamollaoğlu, Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) leader Ali Babacan and Future Party chair Ahmet Davutoğlu met for the fifth time on July 3 at the İYİ Party headquarters.