Turkey: «Let us get rid of being the country which goes to election under State of Emergency»

«Upon a question posed on a TV program he attended, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that if he continues serving as president after June 24 elections, the first thing they will do is to end the State of Emergency. Right after that, Erdoğan added: ‘Ending the State of Emergency doesn’t mean to entirely abolish or not returning to it’, reports independent Turkish press agency Bianet.org. Responding to Erdoğan’s statement, main opposition party Republican People’s Party (CHP) presidential candidate Muharrem İnce said on Twitter: «The surveys have upset him. He started to declare my pledges. He is going to end State of Emergency, he says. End it now, who’s stopping you? Let us get rid of being the country which goes to election under State of Emergency».

In the meantime, a petition prepared by imprisoned HDP presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtaş’s lawyer Günizi demanded to the Ministry of Justice and Supreme Election Board (YSK) that Demirtaş could attend his meetings in person or via Audio and Visual Information System. «Demirtaş will be able to meet his voters only twice via [state channel] TRT during the campaign period. For this reason, it is important that principle of free election and equality be applied in practice as well. As much as Demirtaş is exercising his right to join the election as a presidential candidate even though he is imprisoned, his equal participation to election works being obstructed by his detention violates the Constitution», reads the petition.

 

Photo : Muharrem İnce / Cumhurbaşkanı Adayı Muharrem İNCE Resmi Web Sitesi