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Chair of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahçeli spoke at the weekly group meeting of his party today (October 23). Bahçeli said, "In the current situation, we have no expectation, pursuit or intention left to form an alliance in the local elections on March 31, 2019".
In the Presidential and Parliamentary elections on June 24, 2018, the MHP and Justice and Development Party (AKP) formed the Alliance for the Public.
In his speech, Bahçeli also addressed the disagreements with the AKP over the national oath and the bill of amnesty proposed by the MHP. Bahçeli said,
"In the current situation, we, as a party, have no expectation, pursuit or intention left to form an alliance in the local elections on March 31, 2019. It will not be possible for us to reach somewhere with forced meetings.
"There is also no need to linger or play with hopes. We will draw our road map all by ourselves. We will stand for the elections with our own candidates and emblem and wage our democratic struggle in every polling district."
"Alliance has ended only on the local level"
After his speech at the weekly group meeting of his party, Bahçeli also spoke to the aHaber news channel regarding his previous statements.
Bahçeli said, "The Alliance for the Public has been still in effect. However, there will not be any alliances in the local elections".
Stating that the alliance between the AKP and MHP has ended on the local level, Behçeli has also said that the MHP will nominate its own candidates for the Mayorship of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Disagreements over amnesty bill and national oath
The MHP submitted the bill of amnesty to the Speaker's Office of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in September 2018. On May 12, MHP Chair Bahçeli also demanded amnesty for people including Alaattin Çakıcı, who is convicted of leading a criminal organization.
In a speech that he made in the previous days, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the bill of amnesty. Erdoğan said, "We cannot grant amnesty in a period when there are 50 thousand drug dealers" and asked, "Will we be known as a government that has forgiven the drug dealers?"
The 8th Chamber of the Council of State also previously ruled that an amendment that was formerly introduced to the Regulation on Primary Education Institutions, which stipulated that the national oath is not to be read out by students in primary schools, shall be cancelled.
In response, AKP Yozgat MP Bekir Bozdağ criticized the ruling of the council on his Twitter account by stating that "the council has openly violated the Constitution and the related law". The statement of Bozdağ has been strongly criticized by MHP Chair Bahçeli. (BK/SD)
* Photograph: Anadolu Agency
