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Erdogan calls for unity as parliament begins new legislative year

As Turkey’s Grand National Assembly convenes, lawmakers and pundits are buzzing about shifting political alliances, new parties and even the possibility of early elections.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to speak during the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - HP1EF9N1IMCZ4

ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan struck a conciliatory tone at the opening of the new legislative year on Tuesday, inviting parliament’s bitterly polarized members to work together to lift the country’s democratic standards.

But signs of the deep divisions among parties were apparent from the outset, when lawmakers from the two largest opposition groupings did not stand and applaud Erdogan’s entrance, and the president signaled that the parliament’s pro-Kurdish party may be unwelcome in his new drive for unity.

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