President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan brandished his credentials as commander-in-chief as he lambasted main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel on Wednesday.
“Know your limit or we will put you in your place,” Erdoğan said, addressing Özel as he spoke at an event of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the capital Ankara.
Özel has recently vowed to “settle accounts” with commanders of the Turkish army’s land forces and naval forces, claiming they played a role in the dismissal of a group of military school graduates and pressured a general to retire in the same incident.
Erdoğan said they would file a lawsuit against Özel over his remarks and told the commanders to take the same legal action against the opposition leader.
The CHP fiercely defended a group of lieutenants who were expelled from the army when they insisted on reciting a discontinued military oath during a graduation ceremony also attended by Erdoğan last year. The oath is seen as a symbol of secular extremists who oppose the AK Party’s lengthy governance in Turkish politics.
Some among the 960 graduates separately convened after a traditional oath-taking ceremony for graduates at the Turkish Military Academy on Aug. 30. When their footage of crossing swords and shouting “We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk)” emerged, the group, including valedictorian Ebru Eroğlu, faced disciplinary proceedings. Erdoğan has earlier criticized the actions of the graduates, wondering “why and to whom they lifted their swords.” The oath became a battle cry for critics of the government or self-styled defenders of “secularism” against what they call the “Islamist” administration.
The debate over the sword incident reflects broader concerns about Türkiye’s military and its role in the country, encapsulating the enduring trauma of “military tutelage” within Turkish society. Military tutelage in Türkiye refers to the historical dominance of the military over civilian politics, which has shaped the country’s political landscape for decades. This concept encompasses the influence exerted by the military in political decision-making and governance, often justified by the “need to preserve national security and uphold the secular nature of the republic.”
The era of military tutelage was marked by coups and interventions that profoundly impacted Turkish democracy. However, under the leadership of Erdoğan and his AK Party, there has been a significant shift in addressing and countering military influence in Turkish politics. After the 2016 coup attempt by military infiltrators of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the army has seen a significant renewal, shedding the last holdovers of coup-minded members.
