ANKARA
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Tuesday that he will demans the formation of a government after the parties determined their parliament deputy speakers.
"Then the process of the forming a government will start," Erdogan said at an iftar organized at the presidential palace in the capital Ankara.
Erdogan said that he will ask the party that gained the most seats in last June's parliamentary elections to form a government.
The Justice and Development (AK) Party led by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu came in first in the general election at 41 percent to claim 258 seats in the Grand National Assembly, 18 short of a simple majority.
The second-place Republican People’s Party (CHP) had 132 deputies elected while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) both won 80 seats.
"I wish that all political parties and their leaders act with a sense of responsibility to form the government as soon as possible," said Erdogan.
If Davutoglu is unable to form a coalition with any of the other three parties -- and none have indicated they would be willing to join the AK Party in government -- tradition dictates the president should offer the second-place party the chance to create an administration.
If neither the AK Party nor the CHP can form a government within 45 days, the president must call for a fresh election and appoint a prime minister within five days to form an interim government consisting of representatives from all four parties according to their number of MPs.
