The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli yesterday criticized the alliance between the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the far-right Good Party (İP) for deliberately undermining the national interest and seeking chaos.
"While we prioritize people, they rushed to the arms of chaos. They became peddlers who look forward to the depreciation of [Turkish] lira and destroy the national will. Their soul is with the U.S., their mind is with Qandil and Pennsylvania," said Bahçeli, referring to the headquarters of PKK terrorist organization and the hideout of Fetüllah Gülen, the mastermind behind the July 2016 coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group's (FETÖ).
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of an election office in Ankara's Etimesgut, Bahçeli pointed out that the CHP and İP have done everything in their capacity to trip up the country. He added that the alliance first questioned the legitimacy of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was in fact elected by the public. He added that the alliance later claimed that the municipal elections are not a matter of national interest and cooperated with the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). He promised that the Turkish people will vanquish the alliance, supporting national interest and the People's Alliance between the MHP and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
The Turkish government has long accused the HDP of close links with the PKK. The HDP is known for its support for autonomy in regions where large Kurdish populations live. Also, some of its members have been charged or accused of having links to the PKK terrorist organization. Its former co-leader, Selahattin Demirtaş, was arrested in November 2016 over terrorist propaganda. Many of its members have often voiced overt support for the PKK. The CHP has refrained from officially including the HDP, which has been condemned for its close ties with the PKK, in its electoral alliance with the İP, amid fears of a possible backlash from its secular-nationalist voter base.
