The chief adviser of Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), shot down speculations about the veteran politician's health. Eyyup Yıldız said in a social media post on Wednesday that Bahçeli, who checked in at a clinic earlier this month, would soon return to work.
The MHP had earlier announced that a 77-year-old politician had undergone surgery on a health issue related to his heart valve being replaced years ago, and the surgery was successful. Yıldız said he was discharged from the clinic in northwestern Türkiye’s Kocaeli on Feb. 14 and returned to the capital, Ankara.
“After his recovery process, if God willing, he will resume his work,” Yıldız said after the MHP leader skipped several weekly appearances at his party’s parliamentary group meetings.
After his sudden disappearance, social media was awash with reports that Bahçeli died, and the announcement of his death was deliberately hidden from the public. Some social media figures known for their adversity to the MHP even claimed that his death was covered up so as not to hurt the ongoing “terror-free Türkiye” initiative Bahçeli launched late last year.
Yıldız said enemies of Türkiye, traitors and those seeking strife launched disinformation and smearing campaigns targeting Bahçeli on social media. “They are scared of our leader’s stand, loyalty to his nation and struggle for the homeland. They know Bahçeli will remain a defender of the nation, homeland and Turkish-Islamic cause,” Yıldız said.
“We won’t forget those nefarious campaigns,” he said, adding that legal action was underway.
Also, on Wednesday, MHP Secretary-General Ismet Büyükataman affirmed that Bahçeli was in good health and was resting. In a social media post, Büyükataman lamented deliberate speculation on Bahçeli's health "by some anonymous circles on social media."
"Enemies of Türkiye and MHP behind social media trolls will wake up to a nightmare from their vile dream," Büyükataman said.
On Tuesday, Celal Adan of the MHP, who serves as deputy chair of the Parliament, renewed their pledge of loyalty to Bahçeli in an emotional speech at the Parliament. “Our leader has left indelible marks in the Idealist movement, past and present in Türkiye,” he said, referring to MHP’s grassroots movement Idealists’ Clubs.
“Our leader’s life journey began in the prosperous lands of Çukurova (the region where Bahçeli’s hometown is located) and moved to Ankara and, from there, to the wider Turkic geography. He is the heir to the great plane tree whose shadow extends from steppes of Asia to the peak of Toros mountains (in southern Türkiye),” he said, referring to a symbol of Turkic influence.
