Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on Friday that Turkey should be discussing what the next president's role will be and what sort of qualifications he should have, instead of focusing on the possible candidacy of two political figures as the presidential election scheduled for Aug. 10 approaches.
At a meeting with representatives of the international media, Kılıçdaroğlu reviewed recent political developments in Turkey.
Commenting on the upcoming presidential elections, Kılıçdaroğlu noted that in addition to the ruling party, the CHP will also put up a candidate, adding, “I do not believe that [President Abdullah] Gül has the ability to act independently of the government in terms of the presidential election. The political culture that he comes from and his gratefulness to [Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan, in a way, block Gül from acting on his own and making independent decisions on the issue. Apparently, Gül will do whatever Erdoğan says on this subject. Already he has approved the pieces of legislation that Erdoğan asked him to sign. If you pay attention to the process, you can see that, despite the fact that these laws that are being enacted by Parliament are unconstitutional, Gül readily signs off on them,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.
Also noting that the key point in the larger discussion is being ignored because of a focus on certain names who may run for the presidency, Kılıçdaroğlu added: “We should be discussing what sort of president we need. But the current discussion is about whether Erdoğan or Gül will take the seat of the presidency. This is the most absurd debate I have ever heard. Is there no one else in this country who could be named president but these two people?”
When asked about the police crackdown on people who tried to celebrate May Day in İstanbul's Taksim Square, a traditional union rallying point on May 1, Kılıçdaroğlu responded that despite the fact that İstanbul is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it became a hellish scene when police clamped down on groups who sought to defy the government's ban on holding a rally in the square.
Kılıçdaroğlu said that he was sad about what happened, adding: “The day could be celebrated in a joyous manner. But people who took part in rallies were punished with water cannons and tear gas and they were clubbed. Yesterday we witnessed a state of siege in İstanbul. Allegedly Turkey is governed in accordance with democratic principles. But we observed a process in which the Constitution was suspended. The current Constitution, which was written by military officers [after a coup d'état in 1980 by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)], gave people the right to assemble and to hold peaceful rallies without requiring permission. Yesterday's crackdown proved that the rule of law was suspended as well as the Constitution.”
“While peace should prevail in this beautiful country, we are witnessing an oppressive rule that is putting pressure on society. Yesterday's police intervention on demonstrations allowed us to observe how the range of state terror has been extended. You also witnessed what happened,” he said.
Source/Fuente: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-346773-president-cant-seem-to-act-indepe...
