Bahçeli to Erdoğan: 'You cannot leave, you cannot abandon the Turkish nation'

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) held its 14th Ordinary Grand Congress at the Ankara Sports Hall on Sunday (March 17).

Representatives from various political parties and members of parliament, including Mustafa Elitaş, Ömer Çelik, and Belgin Uygur from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Bülent İspir from the Great Unity Party (BBP), Ayfer Yılmaz from the İYİ Party, and Hasan Erçelebi from the Democratic Left Party (DSP), attended the congress.

During the congress, a new party program titled "National Rise Will" was adopted. Additionally, delegates cast their votes for the party's leadership election.

Running unopposed, Devlet Bahçeli was re-elected president of MHP by receiving the votes of all 1295 delegates.

During his speech at the congress, Bahçeli addressed President and AKP Chairperson Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had stated, "This is my final election," saying, "You cannot leave. You cannot abandon the Turkish nation. We stand by you as the People's Alliance. We want to see you as the savior leader of the new century."

"Turkey does not have a Kurdish issue"

Bahçeli asserted during his speech that opposition parties are competing to dismantle the founding principles and fundamentals on which the state relies.

Claiming that the opposition faced disappointment in the 2023 general elections, Bahçeli alleged that the opposition continued to consume itself, preparing for the March 31 elections with black propaganda and a flawed and painful will.

He accused theb Republican People's Party (CHP) of adopting the mission of PKK's politicization, claiming that the party was taken hostage and would pay the price at the ballot box in 14 days.

"No nationalist would vote for these incompetents. The time has come for the well-known figure to bid farewell, who stole years from the greatest Turkish city, considered this city as Armenian, did not mention the Turkish name, forgot his promises, and who manages the CHP from Saraçhane," he said.

Bahçeli emphasized that his party embraces every individual living in the country within the definition of the Turkish nation. He stated that superiority based on ethnicity or race is null and void in their view.

"Regardless of their origin, language, religion, or sect, every individual who has citizenship ties to the Republic of Turkey is our own sibling and an essential element of our nation. All kinds of discrimination, separatism, racism, and xenophobia are beneath our feet," he said.

Bahçeli stated that his party would erect a barrier against ethnic division and would not succumb to operations, saying, "Turkey does not have a Kurdish issue; on the contrary, there is a very dangerous separatism and terrorism problem." (HA/PE)