That money belongs to the entire nation

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he has been financing his election campaign activities, which are a violation of his oath of impartiality, with our money.

“I am here at town squares delivering speeches with the money of the state. This is my legal right. I am here as the head of the state, the people. I have received 52 percent of the votes and stepped up to this position,” he said.

Yes, true, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received 52 percent of the votes in the first round of elections and became the president. 

However, that does not give him the right to violate the constitution explicitly and de facto suspend the constitutional order. 

Fifty-two percent of the people voted for Erdoğan so that he would perform his duties within the framework of the current constitution and laws. They did not vote so that he can do whatever he wants with the rules he sets in his mind, so that he climbs above the constitution and laws.  

It may be true that the duties and powers the current constitution and laws attribute to the position of the president may not be adequate for him. 

But he should not forget that when he ran for this office, he knew what the constitutional order was. After he was elected he took an oath that he would comply with the constitution, be impartial and represent the unity and togetherness of the people.

Now, he says with pride that he is spending the “money of the state” but that money does not belong to only the 52 percent who voted for him.

That money constitutes the taxes collected from the entire nation. He does not have the right to insult and “bring into line” the other half of the nation with that money. 

The Supreme Election Board (YSK) is obliged to stop President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan from interfering in the general elections as he does.  

Can the nationalists be so naïve? 

For the moment, the main target of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), primarily the president and the prime minister, is the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). 

Every day, they wake up with the HDP and they finish the day with the HDP. They have adopted a stance as if the HDP was the main opposition party. 

For this, they seem to have even abandoned the peace process, though they acted as if it was the most important business they ever cared about before the election campaigns started. 

The reason for this is obvious: There is a likelihood that the HDP may cross the 10 percent election threshold and in the case this happens, it means that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has to say goodbye to his “Turkish-type president” dreams. 

On the other hand, the rise in the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) votes are attributed to votes that have been shifting from the AKP. 

For this reason, they are focusing on a nationalist discourse at the cost of disrupting the peace process; they are targeting the HDP to wink at nationalist votes. 

Now, I am wondering this: Does the AKP assume that the nationalist voter is so naïve? They should be assuming so… They must be thinking that they will be tricked with two or three speeches; they will be deceived with the image of a fight with the HDP and divert to the AKP.   

They seem to have forgotten this: This strategy they have developed based it on the naivety of the nationalist voter will not work in the upcoming elections. It will not only “not work” in the elections but it will also inflict serious harm on the peace process after the elections.