The first job of the Turkish Grand National Assembly gathered after a long Covid-19 holiday was to increase the powers of the guards (Guards are the militia of the Erdogan regime. They are below police but mostly connected with Erdogan’s party and fascist party). Then, on June 4, the deputies of HDP’s (People’s Democratic Party-Kurdish Party) Leyla Güven and Musa Farisoğulları and CHP’s (Republican People’s Party-Central left party) Enis Berberoğlu were arrested with an order from the Palace (Palac is a symbol of Erdogan regime). The next step is to close opposite associations of doctors, engineers, and lawyers.
In addition to these, changes which are expected to be made by the call of Devlet Bahçeli (leader of MHP-Nationalist People’s Party- Historical Fascist Party), as laws of the political parties, elections system, and Parliamentary Bylaws, we can easily say that an “a new period has started in politics”. This is not just our opinion. AKP members openly say that “June 4 is a milestone and a new era has started in politics”.
An Early Election?
Of course, it can be thought that all this is just an early election preparation. Indeed, estimates and discussions are based on this possibility. First of all, the opposition’s power in Parliament will be reduced, the right to speak will be restricted, the rest of the opposition will be threatened- of course, legally!; the two parties formed by those who leave the AKP (Erdogan’s Party- Justice and Development Party- Conservative Islamist) will be prevented from entering the elections and the Parliament, and by changing the election system and “Cumhur Alliance” (Alliance between AKP and fascist party MHP) possibility to lose the elections will be eliminated. The survivability of the “Cumhur Alliance” will be guaranteed in this way.
If the goal is only limited to the issue of elections, we can still say that there is nothing to fear. Despite all the difficulties, the government, which thought to have worn out and lost support due to the impact of the pandemic and economic crisis, can even be dropped from power with a tight electoral mobilization and ballot control… Of course under “normal” conditions!
Ordinary Positions at an Unordinary Period
According to the bourgeois opposition parties, this economic crisis will cause the defeat of the government. They believe that the losses of government will be written almost automatically to their earnings! As a matter of fact, long-term crises wear down and weaken those in power, while causing opposition to gain power. Thus, a change of power occurs when the time comes. “This is the rule of democracy anyway,” they think!
They need to understand that this logic is not true in real life. There are two reasons for this. The first is that there is no such rule in absolute terms. Even in regimes where bourgeois-democratic rules work well, processes follow a much more bumpy and complicated course. In other words, economic crisis and social problems don’t have automated political consequences. The rulers’ power, despite many times, serious social and political power losses, can last much longer than expected time depending on their physical powers, cyclical changes, and the power of their oppositions Moreover, no crisis guarantees the success of the opposition “spontaneously”. A number of events, powers, and alternatives can occur that can interrupt the “sequence” that is supposed to happen and can change the direction of events.
A Small Detail: Erdogan Regime Will Not Intend To Give Power
There is a second and much more concrete reason that overrides the logic of the opposition: the Palace regime has no intention of surrendering power even if it loses the elections. Together with all capitalists and benefit owners network around them, the goal of the rulers is to set up “a nationalist-religious” (fascist and Islamist) reactionary eternal power in Turkey and protect it no matter what the cost. For this, he is ready to use all the ways and methods that he thinks he can afford.
Already all the preparations, including those mentioned above, are in this direction. Even if the last actions of the Palace-MHP (Nationalist Party)alliance, are only about “elections”, this situation should not comfort anyone!
In a special kind of regime (neo-Bonapartism), where elections and election results are shown as the main source of legitimacy, elections must be made but also election results must be guaranteed either legally or illegally. So the Palace regime will try to guarantee its victory.
Another Little Detail: The Regime Has Changed!
So, the bourgeois opposition parties, including the CHP, consistently behave as nothing changed, in fact, the regime has changed in Turkey. Regime changes are never “ordinary” situations. In extraordinary situations, ordinary political methods lose their validity. Whatever ideological, political, social and class barriers are facing them, we are sure that those at the top of the opposition know this fact. Although these people try to calm their base and voters by preaching “trust in democracy”, they are probably aware of the danger. As a matter of fact, the CHP leader explained why they did not protest the results of the fraudulent referendum (16 April 2017), which is one of the most important stages of the new regime construction, and he said that
“Outside there were men with guns!” The same attitude, today, CHP leader says that “ They want to take CHP to streets, but we will not come to this game”
Not coming to the game…!
However, Palace forces
does not even care whether the CHP and the others come to the game or not come. They are still playing their own games. Power expands its playing field because the opposition doesn’t come to the streets. Through oppression and threat, Palace Powers controls opposition and took the hegemony into their hand. Therefore, in the last breath of an actually finished opposition, the explanation that “We’re done, but we’re not in the game either!” will not “comfort” anyone.
The “survival” of the new regime is rapidly becoming dependent on the “dissolution” of the opposition. Change of laws, increase the powers of the guards, declaring a part of the population of the country as “non-national”, turning security forces to a party instrument”, equipped paramilitary organizations with “lost weapons” of state and threatening all kinds of opposition with “pro-military coup” should be evaluated within this scope.
The CHP started the “March of Justice”, which was attended by millions of people in 2017 after the deputy Enis Berberoğlu was convicted and “arrested” for 25 years. Because it was realized that the queue could even come to Kılıçdaroğlu (leader of CHP). Three years have passed, and on the agenda, there is again Deputy Enis Berberoğlu, and this time the situation is much worse than three years ago. However, the CHP administration seems to insist that they are not “coming into play” this time!
Okay, we don’t expect “class struggle” from them. As they claim, it is enough for them to engage in a “struggle for democracy”. However, the struggle for democracy can be given in “open to public” areas, not inside “family” due to its nature. And most importantly, it is possible for millions of people to participate in this struggle, if this struggle can really give democratic results. So the struggle for democracy can reach a result, mainly in the open air and with the mobilization of the masses. The deterioration of the “election games” of the power is possible with democratic mass mobilizations as seen in the Istanbul Municipal Elections.
So the situation is much worse and dangerous than three years ago. Probably this situation will be worse and dangerous three years later, for example in 2023, which is the normal election year. We will go to the election in conditions where we cannot even take our heads off!
Let us remind you: Yes, ladies, gentlemen, the country is entering a new era in politics!
