MHP rules out by-elections, slams CHP

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli has ruled out by-elections, countering the main opposition's demands by insisting that Türkiye’s elections remain on their intended track.

“The Republican People’s Party [CHP] should not have a fancy for messing with Türkiye [to avoid] internal problems. There will be no by-elections. Elections will be held on time,” Bahçeli said during his weekly address to his parliamentary group on April 14.

The elections will reflect the will of the Turkish people, and everyone should respect, Bahçeli stated.

The MHP and the ruling AKP, both members of the People’s Alliance, are aligned in their opposition to by-elections. This comes in response to CHP Chair Özgür Özel’s call to follow the constitution and fill empty parliamentary seats — a proposal the AKP has dismissed as unnecessary.

In other remarks, Bahçeli once again underlined the importance of the “terror-free Türkiye” project in strengthening the country's unity and solidarity. He stated that Türkiye’s southeastern Anatolia region would benefit further from the project once the problem of terrorism is eliminated.

On the ongoing war in the Middle East, Bahçeli accused Israel of prolonging the armed conflict and targeting Lebanon after Iran.

“Israel is the only responsible country for this war. The inability to put pressure on Israel is the fundamental problem of the international system,” he stated, praising the Turkish diplomacy for pursuing an efficient diplomacy for ending the war through dialogue.