By ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
Whatever happens in Turkey, naturally also affects us deeply…
While the pain caused by the destruction of the earthquakes is still fresh, another earthquake was experienced in politics and unavoidably it has occupied “our agenda”…
The withdrawal of Meral Akşener [leader of Turkey’s Good Party] from the “Table of Six” [Translator’s note: the coalition formed by six opposition parties ahead of Turkey’s presidential election] or as her party insistently defended, her being forced from the table; and then her return to the table is a very serious situation of political “instability” for everyone who wants Turkey’s “well-being”…
The offensive and extremely accusatory “language” used by Meral Akşener leaving the table shows us the never-ending “tension” of the stressful political environment in Turkey…
Particularly, Akşener’s attempts to lure two mayors from the party to the [playing] field, which can be described as “interference in the internal affairs” of CHP [Republican People’s Party], is not a move that can be welcomed. Surely, Meral Akşener also has “justified” arguments…
The failure of this table to determine a ‘Presidential candidate’ to run against Erdoğan until the elections is a serious political “weakness” of both Akşener and the other stakeholders.
However, the “purging of the playing field” by CHP Leader [Kemal] Kılıçdaroğlu while eliminating “intra-party” reactions regarding his candidacy should be noteworthy for every politician.
Meral Akşener’s insistence on a “candidate who can win” and her demand for a “public opinion poll” on the candidates has been known for months.
Were these demands unreasonable? If there are no ulterior motives behind these requests, then these were “norms” which needed to be considered.
However, Kılıçdaroğlu rejected both of Akşener’s proposals at the last meeting. From the very beginning, it should have been the opposition’s common “goal” to nominate a “candidate” that would receive the highest number of votes against Erdoğan…
But they couldn’t succeed in doing this….
On the night of the rally in support of İmamoğlu in Istanbul, I thought that he would have announced his candidacy “out of spite” because of the “prison sentence” given to him…
He had a terrific “momentum” behind him…
To be frank, I expected such a “gesture” from Kılıçdaroğlu that night…
Of course, that didn’t happen; just the opposite, Kılıçdaroğlu succeeded in winning the support of both mayors…
All these developments show that there is room in Turkish politics for “tardiness” and holding back real intentions till the end.
The “Table of Six” in fact was an alliance formed by the CHP with right-wing, nationalist and conservative parties….
It was closed off to the “Left”… It was closed off to the parties in which large numbers of Kurdish people were present .
And the leading reason for this was the Good Party’s “red lines”…
It is a fact that the “Table of Six”, in these two years, succeeded in creating a realistic “road map” on the future of Turkey…
The “Memorandum of Understanding on Reinforced Parliamentary System” it shared with the public contains “statements” that can make important contributions to “transforming” the authoritarian regime and reuniting the TR [Turkish Republic] with democracy again…
However, it is also a fact that; the “Six” have not been able to produce a “policy” on the Cyprus issue which is different from that of the AKP [Justice and Development Party] and this has created “disappointment “among circles who demand a solution in Cyprus.
On the other hand, it has created a serious “alternative” to Mr Erdoğan’s regime. The ability of right-wing parties to form a “front” with the CHP was a positive development for TR politics.
And Kılıçdaroğlu who again and again said “I’m a grey wolf too”, who gave priority to expanding, not to the left but to the right of the political spectrum, has played an important role in this. What we witnessed in the few days that followed Meral Akşener’s departure from the table is important in terms of the “calibre” of TR politics.
For days, both the “language” used and the level [stooped to] were at their lowest.
The media reminded how Meral Akşener in 2018 had first accepted the nomination of [former Turkish president] Abdullah Gül as a “joint candidate” before abruptly changing her mind…
Now she was doing the same thing at the last minute, playing into Erdoğan’s hands… Or is there a “deep state” operation in the works? Abdullah Gül, as soon as his joint candidacy was almost certain, was paid a visit by the Chief of Staff who arrived in a military helicopter, the next day Meral Akşener withdrew her support and announced her candidacy. The “conspiracy theories” were hotly debated on television for days…
The earthquake has been forgotten…
A seasoned journalist who knows Ms Akşener closely screamed out “Shame on you Meral, you should feel ashamed” …
Müjdat Gezen [Turkish actor] told her, “Drop the Asena [famous Turkish belly dancer] act, use your teaching skills for peace”… [Translator’s note: reference to Akşener’s original profession as a history teacher]. There were those who said, “Look at her! She’s wriggling like a belly dancer” and those who called Meral Akşener a “suicide bomber” and even a “palace conspirator”.
While [journalist] Can Ataklı said “she committed political suicide”, [journalist] Merdan Yanardağ claimed, “There is an ongoing operation of the gang of five. Ms Akşener has been a part of this.”
Meral Akşener is a politician who entered politics in the DYP [True Path Party] and later moved on to ANAP [Motherland Party], and after engaging in politics with Erbakan [former Turkish PM] and Abdullah Gül, joined MHP [Nationalist Movement Party] and found herself next to Bahçeli [MHP leader].
We see that there is a “liberal” vein in her party and Atatürk’s name is being put forward quite often….
It was quite interesting how she embraced the İstanbul Convention…
However, she’s closed off to “left” politics… She resembles Kılıçdaroğlu’s “shackles” on this issue at the Table of Six… Now she’s back…
Did she say, “It’s better to lose the saddle than the horse”, or is she really going to play a “role” in Erdoğan’s removal? We shall all wait with cautious optimism and see.
