No one can come between me and Erdoğan, says MHP leader

ANKARA

Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has ruled out any shift in the presidential election system, dubbed “50 percent plus one vote,” while expressing his full support to the continued alliance with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the existing executive-presidential model.

“The backbone of the executive-presidential system is 50 percent plus one,” Bahçeli said in a weekly address to his parliamentary group on Nov. 21.

His remarks were a response to a suggestion by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on a change to the presidential election model which requires that a candidate must obtain at least 50 percent plus one vote of the electors.

Erdoğan did not detail his proposal but said those who get the most votes in the presidential elections should be elected as the president, referring to May polls in which he got 49.5 percent in the first round but could not be elected. He got elected in the second round which was held 15 days after the first round.

“I want to draw your attention that this [50 percent plus one system] is about electing the president. We are not electing a mayor, a member of parliament or a mukhtar. We are electing a president who will represent the entire population,” Bahçeli said.

The 50 percent plus one system reflects a very good model for the implementation of pluralistic democracy for the good sake of political stability, he suggested, adding this view of the MHP has never been changed since Türkiye replaced the parliamentary system with the executive-presidency. Having said that Bahçeli hinted there could be some changes in the system without touching its core.

"However, as the People's Alliance, we also have will to find a reasonable solution that will not damage the nature of the new system," Bahçeli stressed.

The MHP leader also stressed that his dialogue with Erdoğan is based on mutual respect and love, in response to the comments that the president was seeking to part ways with the nationalist party.