Striking claim! Does an 'early election' lie behind the Öcalan call?

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's call on October 22 to Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, to "make a legal arrangement for the right to hope and speak at the DEM Party Group Meeting" on the condition that he dissolve his organization, has shifted the axis of politics. 

Bahçeli reiterated his call during his group meeting on Tuesday.

DIFFERENT THESES WITHIN THE AKP

According to a report by Altan Sancar from Sözcü, following Bahçeli's call, Şamil Tayyar of the AKP claimed that Erdoğan was unaware of the call. Erdoğan's partial silence regarding the call also led to the strengthening of Tayyar's claim.

AKP sources, however, say that even before Tayyar brought the claim to the agenda, they had asked questions to some names in the party administration. Party members state that after Bahçeli's group meeting on October 22, they asked the party administration "What is happening?" and received the response, "We do not have information yet, it is not coordinated." A small number of party members state that the issue is being kept secret because it is a matter of national security and that they respect this.

AKP members who believe that their party and Erdoğan were unaware of the process are divided on the reasoning. One group of AKP members believes that Bahçeli's call is "high-level and difficult to realize."

EARLY ELECTION CARD TO PREVENT NORMALIZATION

The reason for the call is seen as preparation for the rhetoric, "We extended our hand, but no one took it. Now we will crush them in the harshest way." A group of AKP members says that information about a few recent meetings with Öcalan has also reached them, and that some officials have simultaneously gone to Northern Iraq. AKP members who say that Bahçeli was unaware of this situation point to the thought, "Since you took this step without my knowledge, then I am challenging you," as the reason for the move. However, while the deputies close to this view are predominantly Kurdish deputies, some Kurdish deputies strongly oppose this thought.

AKP members who share a similar view to Şamil Tayyar think that the 'normalization' process carried out with the CHP worries Bahçeli and that he made this move to obtain an early election trump card.

They state that Bahçeli knows he will not receive a response to his call and, based on this, has played an early election card.

So much so that there are also AKP members who think that the recently developing trustee appointments also developed as a suggestion and put them in a difficult situation.

Party members who believe that Erdoğan was unaware of Bahçeli's call also believe that Erdoğan and Bahçeli will hold a meeting and resolve the friction there. Some party members, who state that Bahçeli made his call a "matter of pride," point out that Erdoğan's re-nomination was made conditional in the last group meeting.

AKP members, who say that the MHP leader pointed to legal regulations after saying "if terrorism ends and the economy improves" for Erdoğan's re-nomination, hold the opinion that this is a call for consensus.

They state that the consensus could be a "common ground" and that Bahçeli's word will not be dropped to the ground. Otherwise, they believe that the possibility of an early election call could arise.

MHP DENIES DISAGREEMENT

The MHP wing, on the other hand, states that there is no disagreement, that Bahçeli offers a "historic opportunity" for the People's Alliance, and that Erdoğan agrees with this.

However, most MHP members do not hide that they were informed of Bahçeli's call at the group meeting.

Party members, who state that the text of Bahçeli's group meetings reached them some time before the meeting, express that when they asked the relevant names when the text did not arrive, they received the answer, "It will be like this for this time."

MHP deputies content themselves with emphasizing that their party will continue to walk the path with the AKP and that the claims of friction do not reflect the truth.

While party members confirm that Mümtazer Türköne and Bahçeli meet from time to time, they strongly deny the consultancy claims.