ANKARA
The Istanbul deputy of pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Levent Tuzel, has rejected Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s invitation to accept a ministry in the upcoming caretaker government, the deputy announced Thursday.
Addressing a press conference in the Turkish parliament, Tuzel said that he would not be part of the caretaker government because the current Justice and Development (AK) Party government allegedly aimed to take advantage of the prevailing tense situation in the country during the upcoming early elections.
He said that the HDP did not approve of such policies of the AK Party government.
"Of course, HDP will evaluate and discuss the issue in coming days," Tuzel said.
He added that an independent candidate might be appointed in place of him rather than another person from the HDP.
He added that the HDP Co-Chairman Selahattin Demirtas, who was abroad these days, was being kept abreast about the latest situation.
While Tuzel has rejected the offer, HDP deputies Muslum Dogan and Ali Haydar Koca have accepted their invitations, prime ministerial sources told Anadolu Agency.
Further, the sources said that National Movement Party (MHP) deputies Tugrul Turkes has also accepted the offer. But, MHP's Kenan Tanrikulu and Meral Aksener have refused.
Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies Erdogan Toprak, Deniz Baykal and Tekin Bingol have also rejected the invitation, while the party’s Gulsun Bilgehan and Ilhan Kesici have not responded yet, the sources added.
A fresh general election in Turkey will be held on Nov. 1, nearly five months after an inconclusive election on June 7 saw no party win an overall majority. The announcement came after Erdogan called a snap general election Monday.
On Tuesday, Erdogan gave Davutoglu the task of forming a provisional administration in the run-up to the Nov. 1 election.
Since the June 7 election, which saw the HDP enter parliament for the first time, Turkey has faced a renewed Kurdish insurgency, threats from Daesh and a plummeting Turkish lira.
The current AK Party Cabinet will continue to work until the formation of the caretaker government.
There are 26 caretaker government posts up for grabs, out of which there is one slot for the prime minister and three slots for the Justice Ministry, Interior Ministry and Transport Ministry that are expected to be filled by three independent candidates.
The main opposition CHP and the MHP have declared that they would not take part in a caretaker administration. HDP, on the other hand, said it would join the interim government.
