Turkey on sound track to establish coalition gov't

The first meeting aimed at establishing a coalition government in Turkey was held Monday with the Prime Minister sounding upbeat about the prospect of the new government.

Ahmet Davutoglu, chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) ruling the nation for the past 13 years before losing the majority in last month's election, met with Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican Peoples' Party (CHP), the second largest political party in the Parliament.

Davutoglu heads the interim government following his resignation in the post-election era, and was tasked by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week to form a new government.

Erdogan's belated mandate came once the new Speaker and Speaker's Council were elected in parliament. His decision to task Davutoglu to form a new government kicked off the 45-day period to form a coalition, after which a snap election could be called.

"The meeting was held in a friendly and frank atmosphere," Davutoglu said of his meeting with CHP leader Monday.

Describing the meeting as more of an exploratory one, he added they agreed on identifying areas of compromise once both parties announce their approach towards the coalition talks.

The acting prime minister will meet with the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Tuesday followed the next day by a meeting with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas.

The main challenge for Davutoglu is addressing rampant corruption and stopping President Erdogan's meddling in government affairs, two key demands from all opposition parties.

The AKP was tainted by huge corruption scandals in December 2013 implicating senior government officials and a presidential family member.

Four cabinet ministers resigned though corruption investigations were later suppressed by the government and ministers were spared court trials.

The opposition said reopening corruption cases is a key factor for them to consider partnering with the AKP in a likely coalition government. Restricting the president's role to a constitutionally-defined ceremonial one is another key demand by the opposition.

Davutoglu said his party has no preconditions for the coalition talks. However, he was quick to add that he will not permit the questioning of the legitimacy of the presidency.

Nonetheless, most Turkish analysts believe the coalition talks will fail and Turkey is heading towards early elections in November.

Political analyst Murat Yetkin said chances for snap elections increased following Davutoglu's recent remarks claiming his party has a genuine chance of securing a result for a single party government in the event of early elections in comparison with other opposition parties.

"His move, likely to anger other leaders, could unsettle coalition talks, increasing the probability of a re-election," Yetkin noted.

Perihan Cakiroglu, another analyst, believes Turkish leaders are distracted from the urgent threat Turkey faces from Islamic State (IS) terrorists at the borders of Turkey with Syria, as well as burgeoning current economic deficit and other economic woes.

She suggested leaders draw a to-do-list and use it to cement the coalition government.

"If possible, forget about the pre-elections June 7 polarization," she stated, urging political leaders to refrain from insulting one another.

Erhan Basyurt, editor-in-chief of Bugun daily, believes political leaders failed to understand the "compromise" message transmitted by voters in the elections.

"If leaders maintain their previous [callous] stances, voters will punish them (in the coming elections) according to their share of the blame," he said.

Basyurt pointed out that if politicians fail to compromise, early elections will become inevitable.

Nobody expects a fruitful outcome in the first round of coalition talks as they seem more of an attempt to understand one another's bargaining position.

Genuine talks will surface in the second round, to be held following a brief hiatus, due to the Eid festivities celebrating the end of the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan at the end of this week. Endit