Two new political parties in Turkey led by former allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are eyeing with concern moves by the ultra-nationalist junior partner of the ruling coalition to change the country’s election, party and parliamentary legislation—with some anxiety that obstacles could be erected to them contesting the next parliamentary and presidential elections.

According to veteran Turkish journalist Zulfikar Dogan, writing for Ahval, Erdogan and leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, “appear panic-stricken by the declining support indicated in the latest polls”.

He added: “While both the MHP and its coalition partner, Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), say polls are not on their agenda until the next scheduled general election in 2023, a recent move by Bahceli calling for a swift change in six laws that will greatly alter the political process indicates otherwise”.

Erdogan, his AKP and Bahceli’s MHP are expecting a growing challenge from former prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s Future Party, launched in December, and former deputy prime minister Ali Babacan’s DEVA, formed in March.

The leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, last week said that the CHP would be willing to allow the transfer of some of its MPs to the newly formed parties should they wish to form a group that would qualify to enter parliament and fight the next elections. 

A day after Kilicdaroglu’s offer was made, Bahceli called for changes in the six laws, including the country’s political party laws, electoral laws and parliamentary bylaws.

The MHP leader has not specified what changes he has in mind, but Dogan wrote that “one would think that the Erdogan ally is eyeing regulations that prevent deputies from switching political parties or increasing the current deputy requirement of 20 for the formation of a parliamentary group”.

He added: “It is likely that Erdogan gave the order to Bahceli to call for changes to election laws, as it would be in the Turkish president’s benefit to tweak the system given the apparent fall in support.”