Operation Akşener targets AK Party, Erdoğan

The fight to install conservative politician Meral Akşener as the chairperson of the conservative Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is now in full swing not only with a concerted and well-coordinated political assault but with a supplementary judicial and media campaign.

The forces in Turkey that have detested the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who led the party for 12 years and who is now the first president to be elected directly by the people, are back in action this time with "Operation Akşener." These forces led by the elite of Turkey that governed the country for decades until 2002 have tried their best several times to depose Erdoğan and have failed. This time, they have joined forces with the Gülen Movement and both have pooled their resources to stall the AK Party and prevent Erdoğan from establishing a presidential system in Turkey.

What "Operation Akşener" is aiming at is to create the impression that Akşener will boost the votes of the party and thus have her elected as chairperson of the MHP. The facts that the MHP has not been doing well in the polls and its votes have plunged to about 11 percent have created the impression among some MHP deputies as well as others among the grassroots that they should not enter the next elections in Turkey under the leadership of the MHP. Those who want to hijack the MHP are using this psychological fact to create the impression that Akşener is the golden answer to reverse the fall of the MHP.

Under normal circumstances, Akşener would be a viable candidate for the party leadership yet the fact that she has signed a pact with the devil shows that the forces that are manipulating her are up to no good.

The Gülen Movement is fully sponsoring Akşener from behind the scenes. They are using businessmen who want to end AK Party rule and the dominance of Erdoğan.

The Gülen Movement has been dealt heavy political blows. They opposed Erdoğan as president and he won with a 52 percent landslide. Before that, they tried to depose Erdoğan through a coup. That too failed. They showed their true face at theJune 7 elections as the AK Party lost its majority in Parliament but then they were really smashed to pieces when the AK Party won practically 50 percent of the votes and won the Nov. 1 parliamentary polls.

So they have shown that they do not have the political clout to face Erdoğan. So now they are trying another path by hijacking the MHP through Akşener.

They are using the media effectively to polish up Akşener. They are creating the impression that Akşener will boost the votes of the MHP to 18 percent through shady public opinion polls. In fact, Akşener claims in the next elections the MHP can win about 25 percent of the vote under her leadership... Absolute nonsense.

They are also using the judiciary, like in the case where a judge allegedly close to the Gülen Movement ruled that the opposition in the MHP who demanded an extraordinary convention to change the party rules and thus open the way for the election of the MHP leader was justified and appointed three caretakers who would organize the convention. The judge appointed three people who were close to the MHP opposition and were against Bahçeli. The three on Tuesday decided to hold the convention on May 15. The MHP has already filed an appeal at the Supreme Court of Cassation against the decision.

So at the end of the day "Operation Akşener" is progressing well and their direct target is not really Devlet Bahçeli but to stall the AK Party and eventually deal a blow to Erdoğan. This plot should be foiled.