Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on Wednesday skipped both the Republic Day ceremony at the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder and a reception held by Erdoğan at the presidential palace, fueling speculation of a silent protest within the ruling alliance.
President Erdoğan, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and opposition leaders including main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel and İYİ Party leader Müsavat Dervişoğlu took part in the official visit to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, on Wednesday, marking the 102nd anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Bahçeli, however, was absent.
The MHP was instead represented by İstanbul MP and Deputy Speaker Celal Adan and parliamentary group chairman Erkan Akçay.
No MHP officials were present at the evening reception at the presidential palace in Ankara, which was attended by several other political party leaders, including DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan, Gelecek (Future) Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu and Fatih Erbakan of the New Welfare Party (YRP).
The CHP, İYİ Party and pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) were also absent; the DEM Party was reportedly not invited.
Bahçeli’s absence quickly drew attention in political circles. Journalist İsmail Saymaz described it as a “silent protest,” claiming tensions between the MHP and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been simmering since disagreements over the election results in northern Cyprus.
“This quiet protest began with differences of opinion over the [northern] Cyprus election and is still continuing,” Saymaz wrote.
When Turhan Erhürman, leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), won the presidential election, garnering around 63 percent of the vote against Ankara-backed former president Ersin Tatar, who received 34 percent in the election held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) on October 19, Bahçeli refused to acknowledge the election result and made an unexpected call on the Turkish Cypriot parliament to vote to join Turkey as its “82nd province.”
In contrast to Bahçeli, President Erdoğan congratulated Erhürman, saying he hoped the results would “benefit our nations and the region.” The message marked a conciliatory tone despite Erdoğan’s open support for Tatar during the campaign.
The opposite reactions from Erdoğan and Bahçeli about the election results in the KKTC, recognized only by Ankara, led to claims of a rift between the political allies and raised questions about the future of the AKP-MHP partnership.
However, according to journalist Hilal Köylü, Bahçeli’s absence from the Republic Day events is linked to ongoing debates about a new parliamentary commission that could establish contact with Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Köylü said Bahçeli, who initiated an ongoing peace talks with the PKK aimed at ending its decades-long armed conflict, wants to accelerate the process, while AKP members are reluctant to engage with Öcalan.
The parliamentary commission was established in August to lay the groundwork for the peace process and prepare a legal framework for the political integration of the PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, and its fighters.
A senior PKK leader said Sunday it was essential that the commission “immediately” meet with Öcalan, whose historic call in February led to his fighters’ decision in May to renounce the armed conflict, drawing a line at the four decades of violence that has claimed some 40,000 lives.
The renewed peace process with the PKK was initiated in October 2024 by Bahçeli, who publicly called on Öcalan to urge the militant group to lay down its arms, hinting that Öcalan could be released from prison as part of the process.
Meanwhile, the Türkgün daily’s editor-in-chief, Mehmet Müftüoğlu, who is known for his close ties to the MHP, shared a photo of himself with Bahçeli on social media, writing, “Understanding MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli well and reading his messages correctly [is important].”
MHP Lideri Devlet Bahçeli’yi iyi anlamak, mesajlarını doğru okumak!.. pic.twitter.com/maJpwWA3Qc
— Mehmet Müftüoğlu (@M_Muftuoglu53) October 29, 2025
Erdoğan and Bahçeli, once political rivals who frequently criticized each other, established an alliance in February 2018 ahead of that year’s parliamentary and presidential elections, which saw Erdoğan win a second term as president. Their alliance, known as the “Public Alliance,” has continued with the addition of several small parties despite occasional public rifts and disagreements.