Opposition head hopes for 'better Turkey' post-coup bid

ISTANBUL (AA) - The July 15 coup attempt has opened up a new door of compromise in Turkey’s political scene, which if utilized could make the country better, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said Sunday.

In his address to millions of people gathered at the "Democracy and Martyrs’ Rally" in Istanbul’s Yenikapi Square, Kilicdaroglu said: "The July 15 coup attempt has opened up a new door of compromise. Post July 15, now there is a new Turkey. If we can carry this power and the culture of reconciliation even further, we will leave a better Turkey for our children."

The CHP leader added: “Politics should be left out of mosques, barracks, courthouses.”

The Yenikapi event marks the end of weeks of “democracy watch” rallies held in cities across the country since the defeated coup.

Leaders of Turkey’s three main political parties, including the Justice and Development (AK) Party, CHP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) are present at the rally together, which is a historic first in the country.

Turkey's government has repeatedly said the coup was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.