Turkish PM Davutoglu given mandate to form new government – presidency

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday to form the country’s new government, todayszaman.com reported.

With its majority gone, AKP can not rule unless other parties join it in a coalition government, but Turkish parliamentary procedure dictates that coalition talks can not begin until the president authorizes the prime minister to do so.

According to the constitution, the president gives the mandate to the party that wins the most seats in the election, that is the Justice and Development Party (AKP) with 258 seats.

Davutoglu was also babbling to his social gathering staff in parliament.

Political parties now have 45 days to form a government before the president has the right to take Turkey to a fresh election incase talks fail.

Davutoglu plans to launch the first round of coalition talks next week, he said at a meeting of AKP’s parliamentary group earlier on Thursday before meeting with Erdogan at the presidential palace late in the afternoon. Sources in his office said he would meet all three opposition parties and that the first round would be concluded by next Wednesday.

While the nationalists are closer to the AK Party ideologically, an alliance would likely scupper a peace process with Turkey’s Kurdish minority, something Erdoğan sees as part of his legacy.

He however, laid down a marker for the coalition talks, saying Erdogan’s role was not up for debate. Neither the CHP nor the MHP has expressed support for the idea of a strong presidency championed by Erdogan and the AKP.