Turkey's interior minister says May elections 'a political coup attempt by West'

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Turkey's interior minister has described the upcoming elections as a "political coup attempt by the West" followed by the military coup attempt in July 2016.

Addressing an event in İstanbul, Süleyman Soylu, who is now running for the parliament from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said, "July 15 was their actual coup attempt. And May 14 is their political coup attempt. It is a coup attempt that can be formed by bringing together all preparations to eliminate Turkey."

"I didn't say this. The person who is currently leading America said it years ago. When all the methods they tried years ago failed, they expressed that they can only take over Turkey with this method," Soylu said, without clarifying when US President Joe Biden made such remarks.

In a January 2020 interview, Biden had told The New York Times that he would support the opposition to defeat President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom he called an autocrat. Those remarks had drawn harsh criticism from Erdoğan and government officials.

"It's a confession that they have lost"

Several opposition politicians approached by bianet criticized Soylu's remarks.

Meral Danış-Beştaş, parliamentary group chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), said, "We are not only competing with the ruling party, we are competing with all the tools of the state, from bureaucrats to airplanes. I want to emphasize this especially.

"This statement is a confession that they have lost. They are making a psychological preparation by saying that if we lose, it is a coup. But this has no social resonance."

Recalling the crackdowns against the HDP over the years, she added, "In fact, we have been experiencing a continuous coup attempt that they have been conducting since November 4, 2016. We will not allow them to cast a shadow on the elections. We will not let them. Your departure will be with the power of the people, with the votes that come out of the ballot box.

The latest of such crackdowns began on Tuesday, when more than 120 politicians from the HDP and other pro-Kurdish parties, journalists and lawyers were detained in raids across the country.

Ercüment Akdeniz, head of the Labor Party (EMEP), an ally of the HDP, said this latest crackdown was actually a "direct intervention" into the elections.

"Soylu, who directly intervened in the election results with a political operation targeting Kurdish journalists and politicians in Diyarbakır, is trying to give a different meaning to May 14. However, they are carrying out such coups every day themselves," he said.

"It is the fear and anxiety that the one-man rule will come to an end. When their voter support under their feet crumbles, they resort to reactionary discourse and force. But no matter what they do, they will not be able to prevent this progress."

"They want to undermine a natural process"

İdris Şahin, spokesperson of the Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party, a member of the main opposition Nation's Alliance, said, "The government and Minister Soylu have severed their connection with the society. People who cut their ties with the nation are calling the nation's will a 'coup.'

"Such a statement shows how exhausted Süleyman Soylu is, he should take a rest as soon as possible."

Birol Aydın, spokesperson for the Felicity (Saadet) Party, another member of the Nation's Alliance, said, "The AKP has turned labeling anyone who is critical of them as 'traitors' into a tradition in Turkey. This statement is a part of that, but May 14 is not the first nor the last election in Turkey.

"Today, parties have come together in a very natural process. The people will vote on May 14th to change the government. They want to undermine a natural process. The people will show at the ballot box that Turkey needs a new era on May 14. The government must also respect the people's decision." (VC/RT/NT/VK)