News reports quoted Baykal as having stated that Erdoğan had hinted at early elections during the conversation between the two. However, Prime Minister Erdoğan announced on Saturday that there were no plans for early elections and that speculation that he hinted at the possibility during the conversation between him and Baykal was a lie.
The two reportedly briefly discussed possible snap elections during their Oct. 29 conversations. "No one would know what you are up to," said a sarcastic Baykal, hinting that Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) could call early elections next year. "Yes, you are right. Anything can happen," Erdoğan reportedly replied.
Addressing journalists at İstanbul's Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, where he opened a new terminal, Erdoğan said anyone speculating about early polls is not thinking about Turkey. “Elections will be held at their scheduled time,” Erdoğan told reporters.
He said Turkey was no longer a country of early elections. “We are in office. Elections from now on will be held as scheduled. They might move forward by two or three months, but that's something else. … If I was to announce such a thing, I would share it with the nation. Why would I share it with the main opposition? This statement [speculation about early polls] is a total lie.”
Baykal also commented on the controversy, saying the conversation between him and the prime minister had happened exactly as published in the press after the Oct. 29 event. However, he said it had now become clear that the prime minister had something else in mind while Baykal himself was speaking about snap polls. He also claimed that the government would not dare hold early elections, stating that he expects the next election to take place in May 2011.
Meanwhile, CHP spokesperson Mustafa Özyürek said his party did not demand early elections, but asserted that the dialogue between Erdoğan and Baykal suggesting the possibility of an early election had indeed taken place. “It is unacceptable to deny this conversation or to refer to it as a ‘total lie.' This conversation took place between the prime minister and Baykal as reported.”
