CHP reacts to Erdoğan's '50+1' remarks: 'His real goal is...'

Speaking to a group of journalists on the plane returning from his visit to Germany, AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the election law he himself had introduced.

Referring to the 50+1 percent requirement necessary to win the presidential election, Erdoğan stated that the condition, which caused the elections to go to a second round for the first time in May, could be removed. 

"CHANGING THE 50+1 REQUIREMENT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE"

Erdoğan stated, "I agree that changing the 50+1 requirement would be appropriate. If we switch to a system where the candidate who receives the majority is elected, the presidential election would be quick, would not be troublesome, and would not lead to wrong paths. The current 50+1 obligation forces parties into wrong paths. It is unclear who is in whose pocket. There is the six-party table, the sixteen-party table. But when it is said that 'the candidate who receives the most votes is elected' based on the number of votes, the election is completed quickly." With these words, Erdoğan reiterated his call for a new constitution.

"PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT TERM'S CANDIDACY"

Erdoğan's statements drew reactions from the opposition. According to a report by Cumhuriyet, CHP Deputy Chairman Burhanettin Bulut said, "For a long time, Tayyip Erdoğan has had a mindset not according to what is born, but according to Erdoğan. The recent constitutional debates are the latest example of this. Opening the 50+1 debate now can be seen as a framework of preparation for his candidacy in the next term."

"WE HAD SAID IT WOULD NOT BE DEMOCRATIC"

Member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Constitutional Committee and CHP Ankara Deputy Murat Emir recalled the discussions held in the committee during the constitutional amendment that brought the presidential government system. Stating that they had said at the time that the 50+1 requirement was wrong, Emir said, "When we said that a system where the one who gets 50+1 wins everything and all powers are gathered in one person would not be democratic, they were saying, 'Don't worry at all, this person will need the support of many people to get 50+1, and will represent an average. Therefore, there is no problem in giving this much power.' In other words, they were legitimizing all this power with 50+1. But over time, everyone saw the drawback of this."

"ERDOĞAN TRIES TO INCLUDE WHATEVER HE NEEDS IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT"

Stating that the government is having difficulty achieving 50+1, Emir said, "When they see this, they fall into the trouble of changing the constitution and getting elected with lower percentages. But while doing this, the powers remain the same. They are decisive in all legislative, executive, and judicial matters, but this person will be elected without even getting 50+1. This is taking this freak system even further back."

Recalling that they had stated the purpose of the judicial crisis involving the Court of Cassation was a constitutional amendment, Emir made the assessment, "We had already stated their intentions. We are not surprised. Now, with the appearance of 'ending the conflict between institutions,' they are planning to come before us with articles that will take Turkey even further back and render the Constitutional Court dysfunctional. But the CHP's stance is clear. 50+1 is already a problematic system, and being elected with much lower rates than this would go even further back than today. We are saying that we are not open to discussion on this matter."

Touching upon Erdoğan commenting on the next term while being a candidate without complying with the constitution, Emir reacted, "The 2018 constitutional amendment was already made for one person. If you make a constitution for the comfort of one person, the end of it is unpredictable. Erdoğan tries to include whatever he needs in the constitutional amendment. Yet, it is obvious what they said when they wanted 50+1."