The Seat

Britain's 44-year-old Prime Minister Rıshi Sunak resigned as leader of the Conservative Party after losing the election. He did not just resign; he also apologized with these words.

"I have heard your anger and disappointment, and I take responsibility for that."

New Zealand's 43-year-old Prime Minister Jacında Ardern, who led the Labour Party to a landslide election victory, resigned in 2023. Upon leaving office, she stated, "I no longer have enough in the tank to do the job justice," and added that her resignation would pave the way for her party.

After handing over his duties to his successor, the 57-year-old Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, got on his bicycle and left the Prime Minister's residence.

It is possible to multiply these examples.

Now, let's take a look at the list of those who have served for a long time;

Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasago has been in office for 44 years and is 82 years old.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Khamenei has been in office for 42 years and is 85 years old.

Cameroonian President Paul Biya has been in office for 41 years and is 91 years old.

President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso has been in office for 39 years and is 80 years old.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been in office for 37 years and is 79 years old...

It is possible to extend this list further.

Official seats are like litmus paper. They describe the democratic record of both the country and the person occupying the seat.

Some worship the power it brings and prolong their occupation of it as much as possible.

Others accept it as a tool for service to be provided to a society and, with the weight of the responsibility they have undertaken, leave it to their successors without damaging democracy.

In conditions where the passion for the seat exceeds loyalty to democracy, and the lust for power crushes the concern for service, the one who pays the price is only the Nation, and politics becomes deadlocked.

Turkey experienced this grim picture during the last presidential elections.

The country remained trapped between an incumbent candidate who blamed everyone but himself for his failures, and an opposition coalition candidate who viewed consecutive election defeats as a "success" and showed determination to continue making the same mistakes. The defeat of the opposition came in plain sight.

After this dramatic situation, much has changed within the main opposition party. The biggest change was the change of the party leader. This change was followed by success in the local elections.

So, has anyone learned a lesson from the results of the presidential elections?

It appears that they have not.

Knowing when to step down from the party leadership when the time comes, just as much as becoming the leader, and respecting new pursuits is a virtue. One of the finest examples of this was demonstrated by İsmet İnönü.

The great commander of the War of Independence, a leading figure of the founding era and the revolutions, Turkey's second President, and the Turkish nation's İsmet Pasha, resigned from the CHP chairmanship on May 8, 1972, after the Party Assembly list he presented to the convention received fewer votes than Ecevit's list. He knew how to leave his seat to Bülent Ecevit with great maturity.

İsmet İnönü left a very important legacy to the CHP with his respect for democracy. This is also what is required by the knowledge and experience gained over the years.

However, as we have stated before, the Seat is a litmus test. It is also a tool for revealing the values that officeholders believe in. It is not revealed when it is possessed, but when it is lost.

It is normal for life to flow through rights and wrongs. This rule also applies to political leaders.

Those who take on political responsibility are expected to own their mistakes, to be able to reckon with themselves, and to face their failures just as much as they take pride in their successes.

Those who achieve this are the ones who can overcome their egos and cleanse themselves of their greed and ambition.

As a requirement of the responsibility they carry, being able to feel regret and shame for mistakes is a virtue. Those who see themselves as indispensable and sanctify themselves cannot perform this moral accounting.

It is clear that creating the impression of engaging in a seat-based settling of scores that reeks of anger and hatred, instead of supporting the CHP's success in the local elections and contributing to the path to power, will make no contribution to Turkish democracy, love for the Nation, or the historical mission of the CHP.

Official seats are temporary. They are a trust from the members of the CHP to their Chairman.

The authority of the one who grants the trust to take it back is a requirement of democracy.