Alliance regrets in the AKP

With not long to go until the election, final assessments are being made in the AKP with reference both to the presidency and the parliamentary general election. During assessments at which public opinion research is also placed on the table, the benefits to the party of the alliance arrangement and the alliance formed with the MHP also come up for discussion. The following opinions and conclusions are prevailing in party lobbies:

 -Who is Erdoğan’s coalition message to?: Erdoğan’s announcement that a coalition may be contemplated if the People’s Alliance is unable to secure a majority in parliament is said to have three aims. The calculations are said to be, first, to give the message to the MHP that they can find another partner; second, to scare voters who previously voted for the AKP and are tending to float to other parties in this election with the prospect of a coalition; and, third, to circumvent discussion about an election being held if the AKP does not secure the majority in parliament and to attract non-AKP voters to the party with a message of “compromise.”

 -Alliance has benefitted the opposition: The alliance arrangement has been of greater benefit to the parties making up the Nation Alliance. The alliance formed with the AKP, conversely, has been of no avail. Had alliances not been formed, the AKP may have been able to take far more seats with the MHP and Good Party falling short of the threshold. However, as joint action was taken with it over the constitutional amendment, the MHP’s alliance invitation could not have been reacted to differently. Party polls put the MHP’s vote in the range of seven to eight per cent. It even looks tough for the MHP to get enough seats to form a group. With the AKP’s vote fluctuating between 42 and 47 per cent, the lowest number of seats it would have got is calculated to be 305 under the worst-case scenario.

 -Bahçeli is chipping away at the AKP: MHP General Chair Devlet Bahçeli’s recent criticism aimed at the AKP is considered to be a ruse to pick up votes from the AKP. It is noted that Bahçeli is trying to shield himself in advance from the negative consequences that will potentially emerge from the election for his party and is trying to create a basis for saying, “We got Erdoğan elected” after the election. The silence emanating from Bahçeli over the harsh comments directed at the AKP and AKP MPs by MHP candidates Atilla Kaya and Cemal Enginyurt is also considered to speak volumes.

 AKP’de ‘ittifak’ pişmanlığı