Bahçeli's remarks on 'Öcalan's status' stir political circles: Is a new disagreement emerging within the People's Alliance?

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's statements suggesting that the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Öcalan, has a "status problem" have sparked significant debate in Ankara's political corridors.

Following Bahçeli's remarks, the discussions regarding Öcalan's legal status have created discomfort within the ruling AKP, while the MHP side has emphasized that a new step must be taken regarding the process.

MHP leader Bahçeli, in his speech at his party's parliamentary group meeting, claimed that the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, Abdullah Öcalan, has a status problem. With this statement, Bahçeli has moved the debate to a different stage.

Bahçeli's words were as follows: "How will the status problem of the PKK's founding leadership be handled? If there is such a problem, which we believe there is, how will it be solved? How will the status gap of İmralı, which serves a Turkey without terrorism, be closed?" These statements found wide resonance in Cumhuriyet and other media outlets.

MHP CORRIDORS: "ÖCALAN'S STATUS MUST BE DEFINED"

According to a report by Merve Kılıç from Cumhuriyet, sources close to the MHP state that they do not see Bahçeli's words as a symbolic move. On the contrary, they express that Bahçeli's move aims to create political pressure for a legal regulation process that includes Öcalan.

In MHP corridors, the view is expressed that "If a framework for a 'Turkey without terrorism' is to be drawn in Parliament, if the PKK's calls to lay down arms are to be moved to a legal basis, and if the process is to be institutionalized, then Öcalan's status must also be clearly defined within this framework." Additionally, some MHP figures argue that the move made by Bahçeli is a conscious and strategic step and state that the role in İmralı needs to be clarified.

"STATUS" EMPHASIS FROM DEM PARTY AS WELL

Shortly after Bahçeli's speech, DEM Party Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları made a similar statement at her party's group meeting.

Hatimoğulları stated that for lasting peace, Abdullah Öcalan's status must be recognized through legal regulation and secured legally. The emphasis on "status" from two different political actors on the same day brought the question "Is a new ground for negotiation being prepared?" to the agenda in the corridors. DEM Party Spokesperson Ayşegül Doğan announced that they expect a new message from Öcalan regarding the process on February 27 and that legal and administrative obstacles must be removed.

However, these statements by Bahçeli were not welcomed by the AKP wing. In AKP corridors, it is thought that Bahçeli's explicit mention of Abdullah Öcalan's name complicates the process.

Sources close to the AKP, drawing attention to public sensitivity, comment: "It is not right to put a name at the center of the process. The prominence of the Öcalan topic narrows the social ground. Such expressions can damage the process." Furthermore, it is stated that there has been no statement from the AKP administration so far regarding any preparation for a concrete legal regulation under the "status" heading.

A NEW RIFT IN THE PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE?

Bahçeli's move has the potential to create a new rift in the People's Alliance.

While comments such as "MHP is forcing the AKP to take legal action" are being made in the corridors, the concern that "mentioning Öcalan's name produces political costs" is coming to the fore in the AKP camp. The MHP's desire for the government to take a concrete step on this issue could further deepen the tensions within the alliance.