The Turkish parliament returned from summer recess on Tuesday, marking the start of a new legislative year. However, controversy arose due to unusual encounters and exchanges among lawmakers from rival parties.
During President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech at the general assembly, most main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmakers, following their party’s instructions, joined ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lawmakers in giving the president a standing ovation. Some CHP lawmakers refused to stand up, while others did not participate in the session, revealing a rift within the party regarding the treatment given to Erdoğan.
This was the first time in five years that the CHP had given a standing ovation to President Erdoğan, drawing criticism for their actions. CHP’s leader, Özgür Özel, defended their decision as a sign of respect for the presidential position but clarified that they did not stand up when Erdoğan was leaving the assembly since he spoke more like a party leader than a president for the entire country.
Under the presidential system of governance adopted through a referendum in 2017, Turkish presidents are not required to sever ties with their parties. As a result, Erdoğan continues to lead his AKP.
Özel under fire for aligning with Erdoğan
Former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu strongly objected to the standing ovation given to Erdoğan, stating that it implied an approval of his actions. Kılıçdaroğlu said the CHP would not support unlawful actions and would only stand up for the people and their rights.
He said on X that an impartial president who remains loyal to their presidential oath deserves respect but that Erdoğan is not one of them. Kılıçdaroğlu said CHP will not be a party where Erdoğan gets his unlawful actions approved.
“We don’t stand up for those who violate the constitution and cast a shadow on the legitimacy of the parliament. We members of the CHP stand up only for the people, for the retirees who are forced to live in poverty, for children who go to bed hungry,” said Kılıçdaroğlu.
What came as surprising and even disappointing to many was a conversation between CHP leader Özgür Özel and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, a political ally of Erdoğan known for his verbal attacks and threats on opposition politicians, journalists and many others who criticize his party’s policies.
After shaking hands, Bahçeli told Özel that he hoped they wouldn’t offend each other with their remarks. “There are sometimes things that we need to say out of political concerns.”
“Everyone tells their truth,” Özel said in response, adding that the important thing is to maintain courtesy as he offered his respects to Bahçeli.
The fact that this conversation took place shortly after Bahçeli attacked and threatened Özel, several journalists and others who questioned his party’s role in the 2022 murder of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ateş came as a shock to many who questioned the politicians’ sincerity. The Grey Wolves, affiliated with the MHP, is an ultranationalist Turkish group also known as the Idealist Hearths.
Posting a video of the exchange between Özel and Bahçeli, which has circulated widely on social media, Cem Toker, former leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, said the politicians’ exchange gives an idea about what a huge waste of time it is to watch their speeches on TV and try to interpret their messages.
“It is all a play,” he said.
Saatlerce TV’lerde, siyaset tiyatrosunda “o şunu dedi ne demek istedi, bu bunu dedi ne demek istedi” programlarını seyretmenin ne kadar büyük bir vakit kaybı olduğunu şimdi anlıyor musunuz?
Tamamı tiyatro… https://t.co/NwwB50LFpR— CEM TOKER🐬 (@tokcem) October 1, 2024
Veteran journalist Yavuz Baydar expressed disappointment with the exchange between Özel and Bahçeli, especially for those who have been languishing behind bars due to their conviction in politically motivated trials and those suffering from poverty as well as for people who expect Özel to resolve the country’s persistent problems.
“This is how days, weeks, months, seasons, years pass… What happens to those who die, to those in prison, to those struggling with hunger and poverty, to those who flock to these people and their surroundings, to those who are condemned to believe,“ he said on X.
Although the CHP came in first in the March 31 local elections, Özel has been moderate in his criticism of Erdoğan’s AKP government. Under the pretext of normalization in Turkish politics, Özel and Erdoğan paid visits to each other and avoided any harsh criticism, with detractors accusing the CHP leader of yielding to Erdoğan.
Exiled journalist Said Sefa questioned Özel’s submissive behavior towards Bahçeli, expressing concerns about the state of opposition in the country.
“What’s this? What is this, really? What brought Özgür Özel to this position against Bahçeli? Don’t jump to the “State” story right away! Such opposition is the greatest misfortune of this people. The people are very, very unlucky, helpless, hopeless, and they are right to be so. They [opposition politicians] are all the same,” he said on X, voicing his frustration.
MHP-DEM Party reconciliation?
MHP leader Bahçeli also surprised many when he, at the end of the session, walked over to the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) group in parliament and shook hands with some of the party members such as Co-chairperson Tuncer Bakırhan, Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Sezai Temelli, Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Sakık.
Bakırhan said on Wednesday that although it may have come as a surprise, it was normal for Bahçeli to reach out to DEM Party lawmakers during the opening session of parliament on Tuesday. Bakırhan said the people had elected the lawmakers to discuss Turkey’s major issues and find solutions to them. As a result, there is a need for dialogue and negotiations among parties now more than ever.
Bahçeli said in a statement to reporters later that since a new term is beginning in the parliament, it is important to ensure an atmosphere of peace.
“While calling for peace in the world, it is important for us to maintain peace in our country,” he said.
Bahçeli, along with his ally Erdoğan, have mostly distanced themselves from the DEM Party and its predecessors, frequently accusing them of having links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
Bahçeli also frequently calls for closure of the DEM Party on terrorism charges, which are rejected by the party and described as politically motivated.