Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he does not rule out forming a coalition in parliament if his ruling-party led alliance does not win an overall majority in tight polls on Sunday. Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP) -- running together with its junior partner the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in the so-called Peoples Alliance -- is expected to win the most seats in Sundays dual parliamentary and presidential polls. But some analysts believe the AKP-led alliance will fail to win a majority in the 600-seat parliament in the face of a strong challenge by the opposition. Opinion polls have put Erdogan several points ahead of his closest competitor in the presidential race. However, he would need to win more than 50 percent of the votes for an outright first-round victory and that looks less likely. Analysts say the outcome could be decided in a second round runoff on July 8. Erdogan, who has never lost an election, is this time around facing more robust opposition figures and parties cooperating with each other in an anti-Erdogan alliance. For the first time ever, Turkey will elect a new parliament at the same time, but his Justice and Development partys election campaign has appeared a little flat and uninspired, focusing on past achievements and making odd campaign promises such as the creation of neighborhood "reading houses" offering free tea and cakes. And in the first clear acknowledgment in the campaign that his election alliance may not be able to win an overall majority in parliament, Erdogan said in an interview with Kral FM and Kral Pop Radio late Wednesday that “if the Peoples Alliance gets over 300 seats, the issue of (coalitions) is finished.” But “if it is under 300, then we could seek a coalition. Thats a separate matter.” The allied opposition — which includes the center-left and pro-secular Republican Peoples Party, the center-right Good Party and the small Islamic Felicity Party — has vowed to roll back Erdogans presidential system and to improve relations with allies and the European Union. Also challenging Erdogan is the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party.
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