State of emergency is necessity: MHP leader

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli defended the extension of the state of emergency rule, stating that it is an imminent necessity for Turkey’s survival against the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

“The conditions are not normal for the state of emergency to be lifted. The threat is not over in order for the state of emergency to end,” Bahçeli said during his party’s group meeting at the Turkish Parliament on April 10.

“The state of emergency is a reflection of the reality in Turkey and its continuation is a national necessity. The state of emergency cannot finish and will not finish unless FETÖ members are cleansed and threats are eliminated,” he added.

His comment came after Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said the government is considering the extension of state of emergency rule, which has been in place since July 2016.

“The need for an extension of the state of emergency is apparent,” Bozdağ said on April 5.

State of emergency rule is declared for a three-month period. It was extended for a sixth time on Jan. 18, 2018 and is due to conclude on April 19.

The extension of the 18-month state of emergency rule is criticized by opposition parties, such as main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) spokesperson Bülent Tezcan, who said the emergency rule “is destroying Turkish democracy” following a party meeting on April 8.

Bahçeli criticized the CHP and those who oppose the rule, saying that those who call out for finalization of state of the emergency rule have “malicious intentions against Turkey.”

“Those who oppose the state of emergency, starting from the CHP to the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD), the European Union, and the United Nations are all purposeful circles that do not understand the issue of the survival of the Turkish nation,” he said.

“To intend to lift the state of emergency or to encourage it is murder; it is a bold recklessness,” said Bahçeli.