Former CHP leader Deniz Baykal (left) held an unannounced meeting with President Erdoğan on Wednesday morning
A former Turkish opposition leader was President Erdoğan’s surprise visitor on Wednesday as political forces weighed up coalition options following the general election.
Mr Erdoğan, who has yet to speak about the results in public, held more than two hours of talks in Ankara with Deniz Baykal, who was leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) until 2010 and remains an MP.
The meeting came amid mounting speculation that a “grand coalition” between the CHP and the governing Justice and Development (AK) Party could be a way out of the political impasse that emerged after the general election last weekend.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Mr Baykal said the president was open to “all forms” of coalition.
He said he saw that “Mr President has an open understanding for all kinds of coalitions”, adding that he saw no objection on the part of the presidency towards an opposition coalition that would not involve the AK Party.
“The political parties need to talk about the issue of a coalition. The presidency is not going to prevent a consensus,” he said.
The election results meant the AK Party will have 258 seats in the 550-seat parliament and the CHP 132. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) have 80 apiece.
The result deprived AK of its parliamentary majority and created the prospect of Turkey’s first coalition government this century. A government needs 276 vote in order to secure a one-seat majority in a parliamentary confidence vote.
The 76-year-old Mr Baykal is poised to be the acting speaker as the oldest MP. He said the meeting took place at Mr Erdoğan’s request.
After the meeting, Mr Baykal proceeded to meet CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to brief him on the outcome of the meeting.
Commentators are suggesting there is less of a chance of a snap election now that the parties are more open to the idea of a coalition.
“Ankara’s pulse is changing every moment,” wrote the well-connected pro-AKP columnist Abdulkadir Selvi in the Yeni Şafak daily.
“On the election night, the odds seemed to be on the side of early elections. However, as the heat of the elections wear off, the odds started to turn towards coalition government.”