Election rhetoric gets nastier as ballot nears

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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As political parties enter the final month of the local election race, bickering between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, Leader Deniz Baykal reached aggressive levels. Saturday, Baykal said although Erdoğan had become prime minister he had not matured enough to become a man. In response, Erdoğan refrained from making a harsh reply but said he would take Baykal’s statements to court.

Another quarrel between Erdoğan and Baykal kicked off in Sinop on Saturday, when Baykal targeted the prime minister’s attitude toward the opposition and the media in his party’s election campaign.

Personality attacks

"We have come up with a package consisting of seven bases to deal with the recent economic crisis. The prime minister told us that we should do our own jobs. Now, this is slang. We are used to the elegance of our former leaders, Atatürk, Inonu and Menderes. The prime minister of Turkey should not talk like that. You became the prime minister but you have not matured enough to become a man," Baykal said. The prime minister’s response to Baykal came yesterday at a meeting organized by his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, in Kayseri. "Whoever can say whatever, we still stand like gentlemen. It is not you who appointed me to this position Mr. Baykal. My people chose me. But you are not in a good relationship with this society. You just see them on television," Erdoğan said.

While stating that his upbringing did not allow him to respond to Baykal, the prime minister added that he may do so after he quit politics but not while in his post. "I am going to sort out the problems with this man before the courts," Erdoğan added.

Meanwhile, Baykal yesterday continued his criticism of the government’s economic policies in Adıyaman. Stating that as of last November 645,000 people had lost their jobs, Baykal said handing out green cards for healthcare was not enough. "After making people lose their jobs and leading them to poverty, handing out green cards and praising themselves for that is meaningless. A government’s duty is to provide jobs and food," Baykal added.

"The prime minister is travelling here and there. He travels and what does he say? Does he talk about workers’ problems? Does he mention the problems of our farmers? He is always attacking the CHP and the media," he added.

Baykal repeated calls for a televised duel with Erdoğan. He said: "Do not talk behind my back in self-arranged meetings. If you have confidence, come and discuss issues with me on TV. He had called on me to be in public squares and in meetings when he was also here. Here I am. Here I am in Adıyaman, here are the Republican People’s Party."

The Nationalist Action Party, or MHP, leader, Devlet Bahçeli, also reacted to Erdoğan’s criticism of opposition parties of not meeting people on the ground. "The prime minister has been saying that we are trying to escape from the people. In fact we have been on the ground for 40 years. But we do not have the state’s planes and helicopters at our service for election campaigns," Bahçeli said yesterday, speaking at his party’s first election meeting in Mersin.