Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made his first televised appearance since disappointing parliamentary election results on Sunday left him without the supermajority he sought.
Speaking on Turkish television Thursday, Erdogan called on all Turkish political parties to put aside their differences, or their "egos," as he said, and form a coalition government.
Erdogan, who served as Turkey's prime minister from 2003 to 2014, had campaigned strongly for more power for his AKP party so he could push through a new constitution augmenting his powers as president. Instead, his party lost seats, in what was seen as a blow to his authority.
On Wednesday, a senior opposition legislator told reporters after a meeting with Erdogan that the president "is open to'' all possible coalition options for a new government.
Erdogan could call another parliamentary election if talks on a possible coalition government fail.