JOINT STATEMENT OF THE LEADERS OF THE SIX POLITICAL PARTIES (Ankara, 14 November 2022)

As the Group of Six Political Parties, we came together at the second meeting of the second round of the leaders' meetings, this time hosted by DEVA Party. As we emphasised in our special statement at the beginning of our meeting, we condemn the terrorist attack that took place yesterday in Taksim, Istanbul and wish God's mercy on the citizens who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the wounded. We stress once again that we will never allow those who want to redesign Turkey by means of terrorist attacks.

We are determined to continue our work in unity and consensus for the free and democratic Turkey of the future, which is our common ideal, against all the polarizing policies of the government.

Following the upcoming elections, we will build, with the support of our citizens, a liberal and democratic Turkey where fundamental rights and freedoms are guaranteed, and rule of law is upheld with all the necessary institutional strength supporting it.

In today's meeting, we reviewed the Roadmap for the Transition to a Strengthened Parliamentary System and evaluated the work of our joint committees.

We will finalize our work on the Roadmap for the Transition to a Strengthened Parliamentary System as soon as possible and share it with the public.

The Joint Working Group, the Constitutional and Legal Reforms Committee, the Election Security Committee, and the Communication Committee, which we have set up as the Table of Six, continue to work without ever slowing down.

The Joint Working Group, which we decided to establish during our previous meeting, has made significant progress in its work in the main policy areas (nine main themes and 60 sub-themes). Thanks to these efforts, we will put forward the concrete steps that need to be taken for the rapid and permanent solution of the problems our country is facing, and we will realise the common goals, policies, and projects to be determined with great determination as our common commitments.

The Constitutional and Legal Reforms Committee finalized the codification of the constitutional amendments required in line with the Memorandum of Understanding for a Strengthened Parliamentary System. We decided to share the outcome of these efforts with the public on 28 November. 

The Election Security Committee plans the steps to be taken in the entire election process, including before, the day of, and after the election and continues to work to ensure full coordination and cooperation for election security.

The Communication Committee is preparing to publicise the reports and work of our joint committees more strongly. We have decided to organize joint events across the country in order to present the work of the Table of Six on the Strengthened Parliamentary System and the Constitution to our nation in a more effective way. The work we carry out for the construction of Turkey's future can be followed on the website www.altilimasa.biz.

Today we also discussed proposals for the expansion of the Table of Six. We took a historic first step on 12 February 2022 to represent the society in the broadest possible way and embrace all of our 85 million citizens. We have created a culture of working together on the basis of common principles and values. We continue our work in a planned and programmed manner. As six political parties working together, we have already made a great deal of progress and we are focused on completing the remaining work to be done as part of the Table of Six.

In today's meeting we have also discussed the economic and political developments of the day.

Failing to permanently solve the problems in a realistic and confidence-inspiring way, the government, which is only trying to obscure the reality, has caused our country to suffer the highest level of inflation in history. Food, energy, and accommodation shortages and student, child, pensioner, and working poverty have deepened and widened at unparalleled rates. Schemes such as the foreign currency-hedged deposits, backdoor foreign exchange sales, foreign currency borrowing, and undue guarantees fuel unjustified income and transfer of wealth and deteriorate income distribution every day, causing the disappearance of the middle classes.

As the Table of Six, we will put an end to this unjust and distorted order and build an inclusive economy where inflation is reduced to single digits, purchasing power is increased, employment is hiked up with decent jobs, poverty is eliminated, social justice is ensured, and all segments of society receive a fair share of the welfare. We will announce all the reforms that we will carry out to achieve these goals in a Joint Policies Paper.

We want the public to understand clearly that we will not allow fundamental rights and freedoms to be the subject of a political fight. We are aware that the promises of a government that ignores the Constitution and the rule of law and regards everyone's fundamental rights and freedoms to be subject to its own discretion cannot reassure anyone.

We consider the Constitution, fundamental rights, and freedoms as parts of an indivisible whole. In the Turkey of tomorrow, no one will be discriminated against because of their thoughts and beliefs, and especially no woman will be discriminated against because of the way she dresses. We will put an end to this brand of politics that tries to keep a section of our society as political hostages on their side by blustering that their freedoms would be taken away if they were not there to defend them.

Together, we will put an end to this authoritarian approach to governance that tries to monopolise even the truth by means of a censorship law, silences the press, sees civil society and social media as threats, and tramples on freedom of thought and expression, which are the air that democracies breathe.

Firm in this belief and our resolve, we will build a strong, democratic, and prosperous Turkey that where people speak, discuss, and express themselves freely in the second century of our Republic. We will build this Turkey on justice, merits, and consultation.

We would like to reiterate that the candidate nominated by the Table of Six will become the 13th President and thanks to a great majority we will have in the parliament, we will transition to a Strengthened Parliamentary System as soon as possible, putting an end to this authoritarian rule that has detached itself from the Constitution and the people. We will bring our nation to a free and prosperous future.

All our citizens can rest assured.

Note: The next leaders' meeting of the Table of Six will be hosted by the Democrat Party on 28 November 2022.