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2.0 Politics
2.1 Upgrading faschism
Erdogan on June 4 stripped two pro-Kurdish lawmakers and one MP from the main opposition party of their parliamentary status.
It is not the first time that Erdogan is seizing some opposition seats in the parliament or mayorships but it suggests that Erdogan is now up to some additional political tensions and some harder faschism in domestic politics.
Bets are open whether he will call snap polls or he will try full-blown faschism as it was periodically seen across the last two decades. Some riots like Donald Trump is enjoying at the moment would be perfect for Erdogan.
Erdogan’s AKP has 291 deputies in the 600-seat assembly, while the CHP now has 138 and the HDP 58, meaning it remains the second biggest opposition party.
On June 5, a bill was voted to give the so-called watchmen the authority to ask people for identification and carry out body searches, beefing up their role as a back-up police for catching criminals and handling protesters.
The AKP, meanwhile, is set to push measures through parliament with MHP, its junior coalition partner, that will block the plans of new opposition parties—formed by ex-allies of Erdogan—to take part in any snap elections.
On June 11, the parliament granted wider powers to a night-time neighbourhood guard unit dating back to the Ottoman era and revived in 2017 following the previous year’s attempted coup d’etat against the Erdogan administration.
Since the failed coup, Turkey has jailed tens of thousands of people and suspended or sacked 150,000 civil servants and security personnel, citing alleged links to the Gulenist network the government claims orchestrated the attempt at toppling it and Erdogan. June brought the detention of hundreds more people, mainly military personnel but also doctors and teachers, over claims of connections to the “parallel state” network.
Police data referred to by Reuters shows that last year the number of police officers in Turkey rose 7.9% to more than 260,000 with the number of neighbourhood guards nearly doubling to more than 21,000. This year the number of guards is set to rise to 30,000, according to official plans.
The Economist addressed the political situation under the Erdogan regime, observing: “Mr Erdogan muzzles the media, locks up critics and flouts some of the most basic norms of democracy.”
Turkish police set up barricades to stop lawyers marching to Ankara in bar associations’ protest. The AKP has drafted changes to the associations’ election system. The lawyers contend that the changes would lead to the formation of government-friendly associations.
Most bar associations in Turkey are highly critical of the government and its human rights record, with the jailing of lawyers jailed and silencing of defences not uncommon. Confidence in judges and prosecutors has been wrecked, many associations allege.
Ankara police halted the march by barricading a highway leading to the city.
6 TURKEY Country Report July 2020 www.intellinews.com
