Metin Külünk, a former deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey, has urged President and AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to step down from the president while he is still in a position of power and influence.
During a video interview with 12punto, Külünk contended that Erdoğan’s popularity had experienced a decline subsequent to the local election defeat.
In the local election held on March 31st, 2024, the AKP failed to become the dominant party for the first time since its establishment in 2001. Instead, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) took the lead.
Külünk stated that Erdoğan had previously been a steadfast supporter of labourers, workers, merchants, low-income individuals, farmers, and peasants. He was referred to as ‘Our Erdoğan’ and ‘Our Tayyip’. This location held the highest level of strategic significance.
He additionally stated that the wealth of the affluent has significantly increased throughout the AKP era. “The privileged and exclusive groups who have accumulated wealth as a result of the AKP are indistinguishable from the affluent individuals who existed prior to the AKP.”
“The people have surpassed the notion that ‘Our President is highly competent, but the environment in which he operates is extremely unfavourable.'” Regrettably, they are directly interrogating the President himself. The level of confidence in the President has been rapidly declining over the past 3-4 years,” Külünk stated.
Külünk further contended, “Our nation expressed in the municipal election that we are fatigued by the lack of regulation in local administrations. We are exasperated with the manipulation of religious beliefs and the practice of using (Erdoğan’s) name as a shield. In the realm of politics, we are fatigued by the practice of organizations concealing themselves under your name, so converting the pursuit of political endeavours for the benefit of the populace into a transactional arrangement driven by self-interest. This has led to the establishment of a system resembling feudalism at the local level and the emergence of despotic rule epitomized by (Erdoğan).
He stated that if the unresolved issues in the economy and politics persist, the possibility of holding an early election in 2025 would be considered.
He urged Erdoğan to depart from the presidency with a positive recollection. Do you understand the concept of giving something away when it is at its highest quality or performance? That is the goal I am working hard to achieve.
Metin Külünk’s comments are indicative of the substantial internal criticism within Turkey’s governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and underscore the increasing doubts regarding President Erdoğan’s leadership, particularly in the wake of the local election defeat in March 2024. Külünk’s assertion that Erdoğan should resign while still in a position of authority implies that he thinks the president’s influence and legacy can be preserved if he departs the political stage on his own terms, rather than being compelled to do so by political or electoral pressures.
The comments of Külünk indicate a more extensive dissatisfaction with the AKP’s current trajectory and governance, particularly in relation to economic inequality and the belief that the party has deviated from its original principles. The potential transformation of Turkey’s political landscape is suggested by the decline in Erdoğan’s popularity and his apprehensions regarding early elections, as noted by Külünk. The AKP is encountering an expanding number of challenges from both within and from opposition parties, such as the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
In Turkey, this situation has the potential to result in substantial political changes, such as the possibility of early elections or changes in the AKP’s leadership.
Külünk, who is 64 years old, served as a member of the AKP party in the Turkish parliament for three consecutive terms from 2011 to 2018.
