MHP's Feti Yıldız makes a striking statement on 'party closure': 'Bribery and corruption should also be added'

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Deputy Chairman responsible for Legal and Election Affairs Feti Yıldız has argued that a new heading should be added to the legal framework regarding the closure of political parties.

In a post on his X account, Yıldız proposed that the phrase "becoming a center for bribery and corruption" should also be included among the reasons for closing a political party.

Reminding that the provisions regarding the closure of political parties in Turkey are regulated in Articles 68 and 69 of the Constitution, Yıldız noted that current grounds for closure include the incompatibility of parties' bylaws and programs with the Constitution, the transformation of members' unconstitutional actions into a focal point by party organs, activities contrary to the indivisible integrity of the state with its territory and nation, the incitement of crime or violence, and the receipt of illegal foreign aid.

Yıldız's statement comes at a time when allegations of "bribery and corruption" against CHP-run municipalities and the party itself, as well as the arrest processes of certain politicians, are being debated.

If MHP's Yıldız's proposal were to turn into a legal regulation, a new ground for closure would need to be opened for debate within the scope of the Constitution and relevant legislation regarding the regime of political party closures.