Joint Statement Of The Leaders Of The Six Political Parties (Ankara, 3 July 2022)

Today, we held the fifth meeting of the cooperation process, which we started with great determination to heal the wounds inflicted by the presidential government system, which takes heavy economic, social, and psychological tolls on our country and nation, and to re-establish the rule of law and political morality, hosted by İYİ Party Leader Meral Akşener.

We are determined to build the "Turkey of tomorrow", where peace prevails in the face of the foul politics of the government, which aims to maintain the order by which they protect their interests through polarization whereby our people are antagonized against one another.

On this occasion, with tremendous respect and compassion, we commemorate the lives lost in Madımak and Başbağlar 29 years ago. By learning lessons from what happened, we declare again that we reject the kind of politics and the language of hatred which have caused us to experience many painful experiences. Furthermore, we reiterate that we will restore social peace in our country.

In today's meeting, we discussed the stage of our cooperation, our nation's problems, and the new steps to solve those problems.

As the leaders of the six political parties, we shared our "Strengthened Parliamentary System Agreement" and "Basic Principles and Objectives" texts with our nation before. In addition, the work of the Election Security and Institutional Reforms Committees we have set up has also been presented to the public.

The Constitutional and Legal Reforms Committee continues to work on a regular basis.

The policies that the government has espoused in recent times aim to cement a permanent authoritarian structure shut off to the rest of the world. In this context, the decisions taken by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) last week clearly amount to steps to transition the country from a free exchange system to a capital control system.

The supplementary budget presented to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) by the government in June is a confession of the bankruptcy of their economic policies. The government has once again made it clear that it has chosen not to fight inflation and unemployment or the troubles of farmers, civil servants, and pensioners but to support pro-government contractors and interest lobbies only.

As party leaders, we reaffirm our determination to fight the government's efforts to steer our country into the closed economic-political system of the past century.

As the assurance of a regular, efficient, competitive economy that prioritizes employment, we are determined to end high inflation and unemployment, to bring prosperity to our farmers, labourers, industrialists, shopkeepers, civil servants, and pensioners, and to ensure that none of our citizens is condemned to a minimum wage below the starvation line.

In addition, the disinformation bill before the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, which essentially amounts to censorship, aims to incriminate and punish the political and social opposition and damage the democratic electoral environment. Deferral of the disinformation bill will never lead us to complacency. We will maintain our determined stance to defend freedom of the press and expression.

The last example of the drift, aimlessness and lack of vision in the Turkish foreign policy of recent years due to personal and reactive preferences was witnessed during the Madrid Summit of NATO. The tripartite agreement, which does not bind Turkey's rightful demands to concrete guarantees, has no value other than its instrumentalization as material for domestic politics.

Therefore, we will direct foreign policy in line with national interests, not personal interests. We will make Turkey the most powerful country in its region with a steadfast reputation and significant influence.

We would like to reiterate the following:

Since 2018, when we transitioned to the presidential government system, we have faced unjust, unfair, arbitrary practices and distorted and immoral norms, with which only the political power and a handful of minorities are satisfied, while our citizens lament and cry out.

The presidential government system, which is based on the dominance of a single person and a narrow group he appoints, is at the source of all the problems that our country has been experiencing, which have increased exponentially, especially in the last four years and has become a heavy burden on our nation.

The way to overcome these problems is to put the ballot box in front of our nation as soon as possible to bring to life a "Strengthened Parliamentary System", a system based on national sovereignty, through the will of our nation, by embracing our republican values, democracy, and the rule of law, which the ruling party and its partners have been doing all they can to undermine.

Therefore, our aims with the Strengthened Parliamentary System are as follows:

Remove all obstacles facing our youth, including the unemployment to which they are condemned and the freedoms that are under pressure, and enable them to achieve their dreams.

Support our businesses to compete with overseas companies and create brand value in national and international markets.

Ensure that our shopkeepers, producers, industries, and farmers can provide affordable products for the consumer while making a living out of what they produce.

Ensure that our civil servants, workers, and pensioners attain the quality of life they deserve.

End poverty, especially poverty of women and children, with inclusive policies and ensure that every member of our nation gets a fair share of the welfare.

In summary, we propose a change not only in the administrative system, but also in our lives as a whole. What we deserve as a nation is to have a content and prosperous Turkey worthy of the 21st century.

We would like it to be known that:

Those who try to reduce the consultation mechanism created by the six political parties to meet in common sense and reasonableness to a debate about candidacy will never be able to interrupt our work, which we regard as a great achievement for the future of our nation and country.

We declare once again:

Turkey's 13th President will be the candidate of those enamoured with democracy who favour the Strengthened Parliamentary System.

On this occasion, we pray to Almighty Allah that the Eid-al-Adha, which we will be celebrated on 9 July 2022, will bring blessings to our beloved nation and the entire Islamic world.