Müsavat Dervişoğlu reacts to the operation against CHP: 'The slap of democracy is like nothing else'

İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu has reacted very harshly to the "absolute nullity" ruling against the CHP and the forced evacuation of its headquarters by police. Describing the events as a "period of shame" and "decay," Dervişoğlu stated that the government wants to turn Turkey into a "republic of trustees."

İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu made critical statements regarding the agenda during a press conference held at the party's headquarters. Comparing the judicial intervention against the elected CHP administration to periods of uniformed coups, Dervişoğlu declared that they would not remain silent while the main opposition party is targeted, as a matter of democratic ethics.

"WE WERE NOT SURPRISED BY THE BREAKING OF DOORS, THIS IS A STATE OF DECAY"

Claiming that lawlessness has become systematic with the Presidential Government System, Dervişoğlu used the following expressions:

"If it were otherwise, we would have been at least a little surprised by the breaking of the doors of the Republican People's Party headquarters, the forced entry, and the appointment of a party chairman by court order. However, we were not surprised, because we have long since left that stage behind. They have begun to make us accept the extraordinary as ordinary. This is a state of total decay and is not a situation that Turkey deserves in the century we are in."

"THEY WANT TO TURN THE REPUBLIC INTO A REPUBLIC OF TRUSTEES"

Defining the political climate into which Turkey is being pushed as a "station of non-politics," the İYİ Party leader continued his criticisms of President Erdoğan as follows:

"Unfortunately, they want to turn our Republic into a republic of trustees. This is an order where one is appointed as a trustee over nationalists, another over Atatürkists, and a terror convict over Kurds. In this way, Mr. Erdoğan also aspires to appoint himself as the trustee of the Turkish state forever. Viewed from this perspective, the operation against the CHP shows both the desperation of those who govern Turkey and their next step."

"WE PREFER TO COMPETE RATHER THAN DESTROY POLITICAL RIVALS"

Reminding that the CHP is a deep-rooted pillar of Turkish politics, Dervişoğlu emphasized that they would not accept the overshadowing of political competition through extra-legal means:

"Even though we sometimes diverge politically, we cannot consent to such an institutional structure suffering heavy damage. This approach of ours is a requirement of our democratic ethics. We are in favor of building a political climate that prefers to compete with political rivals rather than destroying them through various ways and methods. This is also the reason why we reject and condemn every anti-democratic initiative."

"THE SLAP OF DEMOCRACY THAT THE NATION DELIVERS AT THE BALLOT BOX IS LIKE NOTHING ELSE"

Stating that although they are worried about the current course of events, they are not hopeless about the future, Dervişoğlu pointed to the ballot box and concluded his speech with this warning:

"The way to make the judiciary independent and our democracy strong is to remember the stance our nation has taken against the evils experienced in the past. Do not forget that there is a limit to this nation's patience. And the slap of democracy that the nation delivers at the ballot box is like nothing else. When these days pass, what will remain in memory is the struggle between the righteous and the unjust, between justice and injustice, between democracy and one-man rule... And the Turkish Nation will definitely win this struggle!"