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Turkish opposition joins forces for parliament vote

Four of Turkey's opposition parties, including the largest, are forming an alliance to challenge the ruling party for parliamentary seats.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), meets with Iyi Party leader Meral Aksener in Ankara, Turkey April 25, 2018. Adem Altan/Pool via Reuters - RC15F0D58B90

Turkey’s fractious opposition is clambering this week to stitch together an electoral alliance after efforts to unite behind a single presidential candidate able to challenge incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a June 24 election crashed.

Erdogan’s decision to pull forward by 17 months presidential and parliamentary elections caught other political parties off balance, even though speculation had swirled for months he would go to the polls sooner rather than later to usher in constitutional changes that vastly empower the presidency and effectively sideline parliament.

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