Erdogan accuses opposition of 'praising coup'
2 Min Read
Ozgur Ozel, the head of Turkey's major opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), declared on television that he would "surrender" to a youth-led coup.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, Turkey on March 8, 2024 (AP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the opposition of inciting a coup on Friday, declaring that the country's coup period has come to an end.
On Monday, Ozgur Ozel, the head of Turkey's major opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), declared on television that he would "surrender" to a youth-led coup.
Erdogan wrote on X that "In no civilized country in the world would you find the leader of the main opposition party praising a coup on television. "
He accused Ozel of "clinging to illusions" every time he lost hope of winning an election, reminding him that "the era of coups in Turkey is now completely over."
Furthermore, Erdogan noted that any change of policy would be done "through a ballot box, not through a coup."
Dünyanın hiçbir medeni ülkesinde, ekranlarda darbe güzellemesi yapan ana muhalefet partisi yöneticisine rastlayamazsınız.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) March 22, 2024
Ancak Türkiye’de özgürlükler ve demokrasi konusunda mangalda kül bırakmayanlar sandıktan umutlarını her kestiklerinde bu tür hezeyanlara sarılıyorlar.…
Turkey's local elections are set for March 31.
A military coup attempt was made in Turkey in 2016. The biggest conflict took place in Ankara and Istanbul. More than 240 Turkish civilians perished, almost 2,000 others were injured, and the uprising was put down.
Erdogan last May won Turkey's presidential election, leading his secular, pro-West rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, with all the votes counted in light of the historic run-off election that saw the AKP party overthrowing its rivals both in the presidency and Parliament after garnering the majority of the vote in both elections.
Erdogan will remain president of Turkey until 2028 after winning 52,10% of the vote, giving him an entire decade in power after he originally became president in 2014.
