This is almost a coup d’état
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “The system has changed in Turkey.” Then he went on, “What needs to be done is that the legal framework of this actual state should be verified by the new constitution.”
Based on these two sentences, we can easily say:
A system change in democracies can only be possible through an amendment in the constitution. If a system change is declared while there is no amendment in the constitution, this would be hugely unlawful.
In democracies and in rule of law, there cannot be any “actual state.” If there is an actual state that does not have a constitutional framework and clarity, then this is called a “coup.”
For instance, the Sept. 12, 1980, coup leader, Gen. Kenan Evren, had done that. He first created the actual situation, and then a new constitution provided the suitable legal framework; he had this actual state verified and clarified.
If there is a situation that needs to be verified by the constitution, then it cannot be said “the system has changed.”
The sentence “the system has changed” can be uttered only after a constitutional verification is done.
Hey, those who stand against coups, and also those warriors who rise up against coup stagers, those who are as strong as a lion against all kinds of coups, why are you all quiet? Did you swallow your tongues? Why don’t you talk?
MHP speaks up
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy head Mevlüt Karakaya called me. He said, “You have been unfair to our leader. Devlet Bahçeli is not a leader who says ‘No’ to everything and obstructs the future of our country.”
“How he is not?” I asked him. He started explaining, “What did Bahçeli say ‘Yes’ to? He first of all said ‘yes’ to the Justice and Development Party [AKP], Republican People’s Party [CHP] and Peoples’ Democratic Party [HDP] to form a coalition in different variations. Then he said ‘yes’ to the forming of a coalition between the AKP and the MHP under certain circumstances.”
He went on, “Bahçeli still sincerely wants the AKP and the CHP to form a coalition for the social rupture the country is going through to be overcome. If this does not happen, then they may abide by our conditions and make a coalition with us. Our conditions are not impossible conditions, are they? I mean, should the president not withdraw to constitutional borders? Should the corruption files not be reopened? Is it too difficult for the resolution process, which is already in the fridge, to be moved to the deep freezer? But the AKP does not have any issue such as forming a coalition. Look, they are going to make coalition talks with us this week but [AKP head Ahmet] Davutoğlu has given the message to ‘prepare for elections’ to his party organization.”
He also said, “They spent 32 days with the CHP. They also want to spend some time with us to create the perception that they have tried everything but it is the opposition that rejected the coalition. But, they will not be able to succeed in this. Our leader, Devlet Bahçeli, especially did not emphasize ‘early elections.’ Only upon a question, he answered: ‘We are in for early elections.’ However, circumstances have changed much since June 7.”
Karakaya said, “Terror has escalated. Since July 20, we have lost almost 70 people to terror. We have martyrs. An election cannot take place in such an environment. Election security is under threat. It is impossible for the national will to emerge properly. There are liberated zones in the east and southeast. We are saying that an election in such an environment has soured. It is not possible for us to support an early election in parliament. The AKP wants to hold an election while it is holding the public power. Its aim is to somehow organize an election with a minority government. They would not hold an election with an election government where all parties participate. They are looking for a formula. Maybe Brussels will present them the formula they are searching for.”
