A prominent figure of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition party in Turkey, repeated his call for early parliamentary and presidential elections in the country.
Gürsel Tekin, the well-known CHP member of parliament and a former deputy to the CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, said that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “will try to hang on until the end of his term (in 2023),” stressing that the ruling party and its president “could not get the majority to reelect,” so they will avoid early elections.
The Turkish MP, who enjoys wide popularity, spoke to Majalla in an exclusive interview about further issues facing his country. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Is it possible that Turkey will hold early elections? How would alliances be formed?
A: It is obvious that Turkey needs early elections. Looking at the current economic crises and the deadlock with the AKP government's foreign policy, one can easily say that the Erdogan administration cannot efficiently govern the country. As CHP, we are continuously making calls for early elections to end the suffering of the Turkish people.
But I think that Erdogan will try to hang on until the end of his term because he is aware that he and his party could not get a majority for reelection.
Regarding election alliances, CHP is already in an alliance with IYI Party (The Good Party). I cannot see any reason to dissolve a partnership that proved its success during the local elections of 2019.
Q: What about the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP)?
A: On the HDP issue, both CHP and HDP are separate parties without having any alliance. Despite the lack of any alliance, CHP is the only political party that reacts very loudly to the biased approach of the governing alliance of Turkey towards HDP by using the judiciary for the mass detention of its members and to initiate an investigation into the dissolution of the party. I think that the HDP voters are also aware of the CHP’s support.
On the rapprochement between CHP and HDP, I can say that CHP as the main opposition party should have dialogue with every segment of society on common values like democracy, rule of law, secularism and respect for human rights.
Q: In your opinion, which party will win in the forthcoming elections whether they are held early or on time?
A: All the recent public opinion polls made in Turkey show that the governing alliance (AKP and MHP) is below 40 percent and keeps losing the support of the electorate. I'm sure that the AKP could not win either the presidency or a majority (even with MHP) in parliament, whether the elections are early or on time.
Q: Do you believe so much in opinion polls?
A: I'm a politician who is on the streets, talking and interacting with electors all the time. So, even without looking at the numbers of the opinion polls, I can certainly say that the AKP and MHP alliance has lost the confidence of even their own voters.
Q: Do you think the ruling party can reset Ankara’s foreign relations, particularly with Europe, neighboring countries, the Arab world and Washington?
A: Owing to a deadlock in Turkish foreign policy that was created by Erdogan himself, the AKP government feels very insecure. With their own creation of a foreign policy paradigm, valued loneliness, Erdogan and his fellow government officials are now trying to pull Turkey out of this situation. The efforts to create a dialogue with Egypt, to appoint an ambassador to Israel, to pull back the research ships out of disputed areas of Mediterranean Sea, are examples of that struggle.
But like the Turkish voters, the international community also understands very well how President Erdogan and his policies are unreliable. So, despite all these efforts, I don't expect that the AKP government could get the international support that it needs very much from Washington, Europe, or anywhere else.
Q: A few days ago the parliament passed a bill to mandate security investigations into first-time public appointees. Does this mean that the ruling party is trying to exclude opposition from state institutions?
A: The law about security investigation for the public servants was once passed and later struck down by the Constitutional Court. This is the second attempt of the AKP and shows how desperately they want to create a biased system for recruiting public servants. I'm pretty certain that this second law, which is also against the constitution, will meet the same fate as the first one and also be abolished.
Q: Do you think the ruling party will be able to overcome the current economic crisis while Turkish Lira continues to plummet?
A: There is a saying in Turkish which I can translate roughly as "what they do, is a guarantee of what they will do." This is true for the economic policies of the AKP governments. After 19 years of ruling, everyone can see the current situation of Turkish Lira, the existing interest rates and the rocket speed rise of inflation in Turkey, all due to the wrong economic policies of AKP governments. The Economy Boss during the early years of AKP rule, Mr. Ali Babacan, is also in the opposition ranks of his own political party, criticizing very harshly the current handling of the Turkish economy by Erdogan.
So I can say that I believe 100% that the AKP cannot overcome the economic shortcomings of Turkey.
Q: Some Turkish critics were recently attacked, such as the prominent politician Selçuk Özdag and journalist Levent Gültekin. Also Turkish mafia leader Alaattin Çakıcı has threatened to kill the head of your party. The question is: Has the mafia become a hidden arm of the state?
A: The existing tolerant and protective policies of AKP government and its alliance partner MHP towards the chiefs of organized crime encouraged such persons to try to interfere with Turkish politics. They even feel free to threaten our party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu for criticizing government policies.
The assaults on journalists or opposition party members also come from that encouragement given to mafia bosses. This should be seen as the incompetence of the existing ruling coalition to find remedies for the real problems of Turkish people.
