Turkish parliament approves extension of state of emergency for another three months 

ANKARA

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The Turkish parliament approved on April 18 a three-month extension of a state of emergency that was declared after a failed coup attempt last year. 

The state of emergency has now been extended three times since the July 2016 failed coup.

The Turkish government on April 17 decided to extend a state of emergency for another three months upon the recommendation of the National Security Board (MGK), a day after a key referendum overhauling Turkey’s governance system was narrowly approved. 

“The state of emergency is not an issue of fantasy for Turkey or a measure to ease the hands of the government,” Numan Kurtulmuş, a spokesman for the government and deputy prime minister, told reporters after a cabinet meeting late on April 17. Kurtulmuş said the cabinet approved the advice of the MGK for the extension of the state of emergency and that parliament was expected to vote on it on April 18. 

Turkey declared a state of emergency on July 20, 2016, in an ostensible bid to fight against the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ), which has been blamed for the coup. 

Both the cabinet and the MGK convened at the Presidential Complex under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

“A very tough struggle is being carried out against all terror organizations,” Kurtulmuş said.

“This is not just a matter of the government. This is about the security of Turkey, a matter of survival.”