Kurds accuse Erdogan of ‘constitutional dictatorship’
ANKARA, April 6, (AFP): The co-chair of Turkey’s main Kurdish party has accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of wanting to set up “a constitutional dictatorship”, vowing his movement will strongly oppose moves to impose one-man rule.
Selahattin Demirtas of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) told AFP that his party hoped to turn Erdogan’s political calculations “upside down” in June 7 legislative polls.
Erdogan’s ruling Islamic-rooted party had been relying on Kurdish support to push through changes to the country’s constitution.
The controversy comes amid indications of delays in the peace process to end a decadeslong insurgency by Kurdish rebels, with Demirtas saying talks had not been helped by recent comments made by Erdogan.
“Mr President is trying to create a constitu- tional dictatorship by collecting all the power for himself,” Demirtas said at his party’s headquarters in Ankara. Erdogan, elected head of state last year after more than a decade as prime minister, wants to rewrite the constitution to create a executive-style presidency.
Demirtas said that Erdogan was already riding roughshod over the existing constitution in the run-up to the polls by not severing his links with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as required of the president.
“The constitution is currently suspended in Turkey,” he said.
“Turkey will face big challenges if someone who does not recognise the constitution today brings in one-man rule under the pretext of presidential system tomorrow.”
Erdogan has appealed to his supporters to help elect 400 AKP lawmakers in June’s elec- tion, which would allow the party free-rein to change the constitution in the 550-seat parliament. But the party needs votes from the Kurds, who make up an estimated 20 percent of Turkey’s population and are its biggest minority.
Should the HDP pass the 10 percent minimum threshold of votes required to enter parliament, the AKP may not find the majority to change the basic law.
Support for the HDP is currently hovering at around 10 percent, according to polls.
“If the HDP passes the 10 percent threshold, many political parties’ calculations will be turned upside down,” Demirtas said.
Demirtas came third in 2014 presidential polls with just under 10 percent of the vote. His good looks and impassioned rhetoric earned him the nickmame “Kurt Obama” (“The Kurdish Obama”), in reference to the US leader.