Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s insistence on a presidential system in Turkey, following a coup attempt on July 15, saying he was against the coup but is also against one-man rule, the Cumhuriyet daily reported on Saturday.
“What we have been saying is that we are against coups and dictatorship as well. We support full democracy. Some people tried to carry out a coup; we all opposed it. But we are also against dictatorship. ‘What I say is right, I can do whatever I want.’ There is no such thing in democracies,” said Kılıçdaroğlu in a speech during the opening ceremony of a nursery school in İstanbul’s Bakırköy district on Saturday.
Recalling a joint statement made by the four political parties in Parliament following the July 15 coup attempt, Kılıçdaroğlu underlined his opposition to a presidential system of governance.
“The need for a strong parliamentary system was emphasized in that joint statement. ‘We overcame the coup attempt, now we can do whatever we want.’ That is not the case. We will not allow it to happen. We are ready to pay the price, if there is one.”
“While Turkey has plenty of problems, one asks ‘What will happen to my position?’ Sit down where you are. Let’s solve the problems of Turkey together in Parliament,” added Kılıçdaroğlu, referring to Erdoğan’s push for a switch to a presidential system.
As the political unity that was created after a failed coup attempt on July 15 continues to evaporate, Erdoğan lambasted Kılıçdaroğlu on Saturday, saying he does not care about Kılıçdaroğlu’s criticism of the government’s post-coup-era policies.