Deputy Erdogan implicates the president with a provocative statement… What did he say?
While the Turkish president called last week for the cancellation of the electoral threshold (50+1) to avoid a second round of elections, Erdogan‘s deputy, Cevdet Yilmaz, criticized those who doubted his legitimacy, indicating that Erdogan’s victory in the second round is evidence that Turkey is not suffering from dictatorship.
The statement, circulated among the Turks and considered provocative, starkly contradicts Erdogan‘s current direction, emphasizing that Yilmaz implicated the Turkish president instead of saving his reputation. During the budget negotiation session in Parliament, the vice president responded to accusations against Erdogan and accusations of “dictatorship,” saying, “It is not fair to compare Turkey to countries where there is only one party and no competition. Elections in Turkey are conducted according to the rules, and there is no second round of elections in a country ruled by dictators.”
While Yilmaz relied on Erdogan‘s victory in the second round as evidence of Turkey’s democracy, the Turkish president said last week: “The electoral threshold (50+1) must be canceled to avoid a second round of elections,” according to the Turkish newspaper Zaman.
With Erdogan receiving 49.50% of the votes in the first round, a second round of presidential elections was held in Turkey between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the former Republican People’s Party.
The electoral threshold requires the presidential candidate to receive more than 50% of the votes in the first round to win the election or hold a second round.
Erdogan told journalists upon his return from Germany: “Canceling the (50+1) rule will make presidential elections quick and smooth, without obstacles, if we follow the approach of the majority-winning candidate because the current (50+1) requirement pushes parties to wrong methods.”
Yilmaz added, “In an environment with dictators, major cities like Istanbul do not change between parties,” referring to the opposition’s victory in major municipalities in the 2019 elections, which were previously controlled by the ruling party.
Yilmaz also spoke about the Turkish intelligence agency and the importance of security in Turkey, saying, “We are proud of our national intelligence organization; they work with extreme dedication for the security of this country. We also need to reconsider security, and we must always defend a security approach directed towards humanity.”
Yilmaz mentioned that in a country without security, there can be no democracy or development, pointing out that improving and developing the economy is impossible in a place without security.
According to Zaman newspaper, Erdogan‘s plan does not even have the support of his closest allies, as the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahceli, Erdogan‘s electoral ally, opposed Erdogan’s efforts to change the electoral threshold (50+1).
During a party bloc meeting in Parliament, Bahceli said, “Erdogan’s statements are meaningful, but the opinions of the Nationalist Movement Party on this matter are known to everyone and have not changed,” adding that the electoral threshold (50+1) is the basis for the democratic legitimacy of the current system and evidence of plurality.
On the other hand, Burhanettin Bulut, deputy chairman of the Republican People’s Party, criticized Erdogan‘s retreat from his previous rejection of this proposal, saying, “The president has been following the approach of making decisions according to what he needs for a long time, not according to necessity.”
He added, “Perhaps the recent debates about the constitution are the latest example of this; stirring controversy over the (50+1) rule can now be considered a prelude to candidacy in the coming stage.”
