Mehmet Uçum's 'Sunday column' brings Bahçeli's words to mind: Was he pointing to Ekrem İmamoğlu?

Mehmet Uçum, Chief Advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Legal Policies Board, wrote an article titled "Transition to Democracy Law!" which he shared on his social media account. The article emphasized that democracy is not merely a political system, but also a legal order.

Arguing that democracy is not purely political but essentially a theory of law, Uçum listed the fundamental principles of democracy law in his article. Comments were made suggesting that Uçum's messages contained indirect references to the case of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor and detained presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu.

UÇUM'S "DEMOCRACY LAW" PRINCIPLES

Highlighting the concept of "positive law" in his article, Mehmet Uçum stated that democracy law can only be built upon certain principled foundations. The principles listed by Uçum are as follows:

General and equal suffrage

Multiplicity of options and freedom of choice

Supremacy of voter will

Trust in the people and those they elect

Public participation in governance

The people exercising noble powers beyond just voting

Direct and indirect democratic legitimacy

Solutions based on the will of the people

Change while preserving national accumulation

Functional separation of powers

Measures and sanctions against the disproportionate and abusive use of powers

Uçum stated that these principles form the basis of democracy law in terms of both positive law and political law. "Today, we are at a stage where a transition to democracy law is taking place within this principled framework," said Uçum, arguing that the concept of democracy should now be addressed on a legal basis rather than just a political one.

AN EMPHASIS ON İMAMOĞLU?

The aspect of Uçum's article that drew the most public attention was its indirect reference to the detention process of CHP presidential candidate and İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. While Uçum emphasized principles such as "supremacy of voter will" and "public participation in governance" as foundations of democracy, the extent to which İmamoğlu's detention aligns with these principles became a subject of debate.

BAHÇELİ'S TWO SENTENCES CREATED AN AGENDA

During the same period, statements by MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli also resonated widely in political circles. In a speech on April 14, Bahçeli made the following striking remarks regarding Ekrem İmamoğlu:

"The court processes regarding the suspect Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is in Silivri Prison due to allegations of theft, bribery, and corruption surrounding the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, must be reviewed and concluded urgently."

"Prosecution stages must be completed by ensuring the full addition of witness statements, clear and authentic evidence, and other relevant information, documents, and findings to the case file; if the suspect Ekrem İmamoğlu is innocent, his acquittal, or if not, his sentencing, must be ensured in a manner consistent with the public conscience and as soon as possible."