Turkey's ruling party cuts deal with nationalist MHP on mayoral races
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party has agreed to coordinate with its nationalist rival in the upcoming municipal elections as a damning survey showed Turkey's best districts are run by the opposition.
ANKARA, Turkey — President Recip Tayyip Erdogan announced Tuesday his Justice and Development Party (AKP) would cut a deal with its right-wing rival, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), for Turkey’s municipal elections in March.
The move is a bid to consolidate the right-of-center vote ahead of polls in which the AKP could suffer significant losses owing to the failing economy and a falling approval rating for the president.
Over the weekend the leader of the MHP, Devlet Bahceli, said his party would not field candidates in the three biggest cities: Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. The withdrawal provoked speculation that Erdogan would reciprocate by not fielding AKP candidates in cities where the MHP seeks to win: Adana, Mersin, Manisa, Osmaniye and Isparta.
On Tuesday, Erdogan said such arrangements would be made, but gave no details. “Once you have an agreement, each side will have to make gestures toward the other,” he told reporters.
