No one but Erdoğan surprised by election results, I guess

As a matter of fact, Erdoğan, who I think we should start calling “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,” was surprised at the election results because he did not go beyond the 22.5 million vote barrier, as less than 21 million voted. I am sure he will make a realistic evaluation of this situation with his aides.

There are a few consequences to be noted about these elections. Erdoğan has finally ended his election campaign, which he started at the end of May 2013, by calling the demonstrators at Gezi Park “looters.” The tension will gradually decrease in the coming period.

It is noteworthy that Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu obtained 38.5 percent.

We still have another 10 months ahead of us, which will be just as tense. I really am curious as to what kind of a tactic the opposition will adopt in the next 10 months, when there is the option of seeing less of Erdoğan; given that the opposition has completely invested in anti-Erdoğanism for all these years and only reached the level of 38.5 percent.

Three options for the terrorism probe

The investigation conducted by the office of Istanbul’s chief prosecutor is ongoing against more than 130 police. There are two major bases in this investigation. The first is the report of the inspectors of the Interior Ministry on the theme of irregular phone tapping incidents conducted in several cities, primarily Istanbul.

The second major foundation is the 1,200-page summary of proceedings written by the Istanbul Security Department anti-terror branch, the one that caused the closure in 2014 of a 2010 investigation opened by Istanbul police and prosecutora related to a “terrorist organization” called “Selam-Tevhid.”

Confusing, right? Istanbul police start investigating, upon a tipoff, a group called “Selam-Tevhid Group” formed by a person named Nurettin Şirin in 2010. This investigation expands and expands; and at the end, the phones of many individuals, from Erdoğan to undersecretary of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Hakan Fidan are eavesdropped on. Then, after Dec. 17 to 25 of 2013 and after the earthquake experienced in the police and offices of the prosecutors, the file was closed after this 1,200-page summary arose. Today, those who were conducting the investigation are being investigated.

I have read the rather long summary. At the end of the last page, I had three options in my mind:
This “Selam-Tevhid” is a serious terrorist and spying organization and the summary I read was the main evidence for the biggest cover-up operation our police have ever seen.

The second option is the existence and role of “Selam-Tevhid” are being exaggerated; it is actually a small group of people who should be under intelligence surveillance, rather than the police. However, the police conducting the investigation genuinely believe there is a spying network behind all this.

The third option is the existence and role of “Selam-Tevhid” are extremely limited to a small group of people who should be monitored by the intelligence, rather than the police right now. However, just as it has happened in the past, as in the examples of the “Devrimci Karargah” and Ergenekon cases, it is an organization suited for adding and associating others intentionally and creating a kind of a scandal. The police were caught red-handed while they were trying to make use of this suitable situation.
All three options are worse than each other.