Two and a half months after the local elections on March 31, two religious holidays overlapped. On Eid al-Fitr on April 10, a telephone conversation was held that could be seen as the “first step towards normalization.” During the holiday meeting, Özgür Özer, chairman of the CHP, which became the largest party in an election for the first time in 47 years, told President Erdogan that “it would be beneficial to open a channel of dialogue.”
The answer he received was: “Our doors are open.” Even if he had won the general elections a year ago and become president again, it would be impossible for the elected officials to meet with the leader of the country’s number one party. The fact that the CHP was the party that won the most votes and increased the number of local municipalities made such a refusal impossible. In other words, the local ballot box has actually opened the “door” to a government that was recaptured in the last general elections and is expected to continue for another four years. Perhaps the first “normalcy” of “normalization” is the acceptance of this new situation by the government that has played the “unbeatable champion” for 22 years and has opened the door.
But apart from the release of the general on February 28, nothing lasted at least for two holidays … On the contrary, we have in “Behind the Wall” the following statement regarding the Gezi incident, which was on the agenda of both meetings: “Who was Teyfun Karaman?” We have reached the stage. There are no signs of “normalization” regarding the Kurdish issue, especially regarding the trustees. Özgül Özer also pointed out this situation, saying “There is no normalization for either the Turks or the Kurds.” This is a convenient area where Özer can gradually strengthen his hand. “We explain all the problems of the country, the difficulties of life, the injustices and mistakes, but those who sit at the table with us in the name of normalization only listen to them.” It can be said that this is an area where it is increasingly possible to create new movements against the government.
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In the period leading up to the current second religious holiday, we have seen two meetings between Presidents Erdogan and Ezer and many mutual statements/assessments from both sides. We have seen that both the government and the CHP side are “sensitive” to the new process that began with the obligation to go through the ballot box and want to continue it without the burden of being a spoilsport. However, the return visit just before Eid al-Adha and Erdogan’s visit with Ayse Atesh’s children on the same day also revealed border markers that would allow the ruling party to avoid “paying the bill”.
Because Bahçeli’s statement that “the AK Party and the CHP should form an alliance and also support the six-nation table” revealed the first password, which is crucial in normalization. The final point of the ring message with Ferdi Tefer was revealed in this statement. It may be explained as follows: “Meet whoever you want to meet, but don’t make me a headline like Sinan Ateş or Ayhan Bora Kaplan. Meet me when you reach the limit of normalization. If you want me to continue to maintain the limit, meet with anyone, but don’t put me aside…”
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His first reaction to the results of the local elections was: “The Republic of Turkey was not established at the ballot box.” Turkey’s history was not written on the ballot box. “Everyone should come to their senses and remember that as long as the wind blows, the storm will be reaped,” the MHP leader said, and, considering the content of this statement, which could probably be taken anywhere, he also said: It was in fact an “electoral success” for his party: “The Nationalist Movement Party’s voter turnout in the elections to the Provincial Assembly, covering 51 provinces, was 16.62 percent.”
The statement, which could also be read as “The People’s Alliance failed to recommend AK Party candidates in most of the big cities, but the MHP failed,” also points out the attitude of the MHP, whose normalization is still in its early stages. Of course, the real “problem of persuasion” of the MHP in front of the public emerged with the developments regarding the murder of Sinan Ateş. The course of events surrounding this issue widened the distance from normalization. The fact that Ayşe Ateş was received by President Erdoğan, and that it took place on the same day as the informal meeting and just before the trial begins on July 1, was more exhausting for the MHP than the informal meeting and the meeting with President Erdoğan. The blasphemous and apocalyptic remarks aimed at Özer, some journalists, and “some within the AK Party” point out which of the mixed messages contained in Bahçeli’s statement, in which he said that “the AK Party and the CHP will form an alliance,” is the most important. If it continues, it will happen in spite of the MHP.
If we add to this the page-turning statements of the “hardening of normalization” from Ozgür Özer on the CHP side, such as “Normalization did not benefit anyone” and “We told Özer to be polite, but he could not digest it”, then from President Erdoğan on the ruling side, the resolved MHP code will put a second code on the agenda, which will become clear after the holidays.
Will Erdogan, grappling with the reaction of his People’s Alliance partners, the impact of the local election results and the dire economic situation, be able to continue with normalization “for the sake of a new society and constitution”? Yesterday’s statement indicated that despite the now-revealed MHP Code, he is willing to continue normalization “within limits” while maintaining the alliance.
Let’s see how this is possible?
CHP Group Vice Chairman Gökhan Günaydın responded to questions from Ankara representative Nergis Demirkaya.
What do the interlocutor’s comments say?
Is it correct to see that the government’s insistence on a new constitution is limited to seeking re-election as president of Erdogan and 40+1? As we look towards 2028, it would not be surprising if these “important” topics were built around the rhetoric of “supporting one last time to resolve all issues.” So how does the CHP view this situation?
The statement of Deputy Chairman Gökhan Güneydinglup, who spoke with our Ankara representative Nergis Demirkaya regarding the internal party analysis, contained a comprehensive explanation of the answers to the questions: Perhaps one of the most critical assessments of the continuation of normalization can be found in the following words:
“Erdogan, exhausted after 21 years in power, has created these problems but has not taken any steps to solve them, and what’s more, he’s fulfilling this understanding brought by the CHP by saying, ‘We need to be realists, we need to be realists.'” “I think even this image is useful for republican politics.”
Whether or not that is true, as long as this assessment is generally accepted within the party, we can expect the CHP to insist on normalisation…
Indian historian Vijay Prashad
Meanwhile in the world…
Although we are in the “small news” days of the holidays, Gazete Duvar continues to cover a wide variety of topics. For a remarkable commentary on what is happening in the world, from the China-US struggle to Turkey’s situation in this struggle, I would like to once again recommend Karbel Alpathran’s video interview with Indian historian Vijay Prashad about his latest book, Washington Bullet. An eye-opening 30 minutes on many topics…
