Following the public support of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ambition to switch to an executive presidency in Turkey, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has accused Bahçeli of being an ally of Erdoğan.
CHP spokesperson Selin Sayek Böke called Bahçeli “the spare wheel of the presidential palace” for openly supporting Erdoğan’s controversial attempt to change the system of governance in Turkey. Erdoğan has been pushing for a switch to an executive presidency, arguing that the system has already de facto changed.
Bahçeli, on the other hand, said on Tuesday that the governing party’s proposal for the presidential system will either become legislation in Parliament or be taken to referendum. According to Bahçeli, his MHP would respect either decision.
Bahçeli has been under fire for indirectly supporting Erdoğan and the president’s policies since the June 7, 2015 elections, which had to be held again on Nov. 1, 2015 when no parties were able to form a coalition.