Speaking at his party’s provincial congress in Adana, President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “All together, we will continue to walk this blessed path tirelessly until our last breath. I am saying it once again in this hall: As long as God grants me life, I will continue to serve Adana and the whole of Turkey, offering services for all 85 million people.”
Erdoğan’s words came at a time when discussions about whether he could run for office once again were on the agenda. Most recently, AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik shared remarks on this issue during the week, saying, “Those of us who walk with our President have this on our agenda. We will look at the formula; in politics, one year is very short, and one day is very long. We will discuss it. The important thing is that our nation wants it.”
Debates on running again
There were similar debates before the last election he won about whether Erdoğan could run yet again. The opposition argued that with 2014 included, he had already served two terms as president, and thus a third candidacy would be unconstitutional.
The ruling side, however, maintained that the 2014 election took place before the transition to the Presidential System of Government, hence the 2023 election would count as Erdoğan’s second term. Erdoğan, who ran in and won that election, frequently stated at the time that it would be his last.
These debates have resurfaced now that the opposition is once again mentioning the possibility of an early election. The People’s Alliance (Cumhur İttifakı) wants Erdoğan to be able to run either in a potential early election or in the next one. MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli openly expresses this stance, saying, “Erdoğan is the only option.”
Criticism of Özel
In his speech in Adana, Erdoğan also criticized CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. After Erdoğan described the operations on CHP-run Esenyurt and Beşiktaş municipalities by saying “The bigger radish is still in the saddlebag” (a Turkish expression meaning the real trouble is yet to come), Özel interpreted these words as a “declaration of war.”
Responding to Özel at the congress, Erdoğan said:
“Other than money towers, inflated concert invoices, and bidding irregularities, they [the CHP municipalities] have no achievements they can point to and say ‘This is our work.’ Now, they are talking about a ‘declaration of war.’ They also say, ‘We don’t know—how do you know?’ Let me ask Mr. Özel: By God, what do you know that would allow you to know about these matters? What are you following so that you would follow them? Esenyurt? Beşiktaş Municipality? If you still have no idea about the latest developments there, you might as well step down, because surely someone else will come and take that position anyway.”
After his visit to Adana, Erdoğan went on to Mersin for its ordinary provincial congress.
“We will soon take steps to completely resolve the YPG issue”
In his speech in Mersin, Erdoğan also addressed developments in Syria, saying:
“We are determined to prevent new scenarios from unfolding in Syria, either by forcing or eliminating terrorist organizations occupying that country’s lands. In particular, we have zero tolerance for the YPG terrorist organization, which currently occupies one-third of that country. We will soon begin taking steps to resolve this issue once and for all.”
Referring to contacts with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, Erdoğan added:
“The developments that began when our People’s Alliance partner Mr. Bahçeli brought this issue to the agenda are nearing their final stage.”
Erdoğan continued:
“If the separatist organization heeds the call of its leader and does what is necessary, and if its political wing also fulfills its responsibilities, it will benefit all of Turkey, with its 81 provinces and 85 million citizens. If the organization refuses the call and its political extension stalls, we will solve the issue in its own realm with the operations we have already been conducting successfully. Our preference is that this issue—which has cost our country 40 years, tens of thousands of lives, and hundreds of billions of dollars—be resolved peacefully, sincerely, and definitively, so that it’s consigned to history once and for all. In one way or another, the scourge of separatist terrorism will be eradicated. Of course, our heroic martyrs are above and beyond any reckoning. As everyone has seen, all work is being carried out without in the least harming the cherished memory of our martyrs or the sensitivities of their families and our veterans.”
