Turkish PM Erdoğan lost the ability to rule the country: Main opposition CHP

ANKARA

CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (C) stands during the official ceremony for marking the Council of State’s anniversary. AA Photo

The main opposition party has sharply criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s reaction to the head of bar association.

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) in their statement described the incident that took place on May 10 as the “reflection of a man who has lost his ability to rule the country.”

“The picture observed at the 146th anniversary of the Council of State is a reflection of a person’s behavior who has lost his ability to rule the state,” Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, head of the CHP, told reporters over the weekend. The incident Kılıçdaroğlu referred to occurred during the official ceremony for marking the Council of State’s anniversary with the participation of President Abdullah Gül and the country’s protocol. Erdoğan interrupted Metin Feyzioğlu’s speech and accused him of being rude and disrespectful.

Kılıçdaroğlu, who was also present at the ceremony, said Feyzioğlu’s speech was not critical of the government and to the contrary, it was contributive. “He even criticized the imprisonment of the prime minister for solely reading a poem,” he said, referring to Erdoğan’s four months’ imprisonment in the late 1990s.

“Perhaps he got angry because the speech lasted a long time, but he took such a tough line that something like this that has never occurred before happened. The state protocol and members of the judiciary were there as well. I never thought that something like that could happen, but it did,” he said.

Gül tried to calm him down, but Erdoğan was inconsolable, Kılıçdaroğlu said, “It’s unbelievable. The prime minister does not have a healthy mentality. He has no tolerance for criticism. He can no longer rule this country.”

What he did was also disrespectful to the president, Kılıçdaroğlu stressed, describing the move as a violation of the state’s traditions and morals.

Bülent Tezcan, deputy leader of the CHP, called Erdoğan a dictator and said his actions on May 10 toward Feyzioğlu were clear indicators of his dictatorial inclinations. “Erdoğan, who had reacted toward the head of the Constitutional Court, Haşim Kılıç, could not control his anger this time and walked out. Who knows where he will show his burst of rage next time.” he asked.