A "candidacy" crisis broke out in the People's Alliance! Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli ignited the crisis with the statement he made about candidacy for the presidency. While the debates about Erdoğan's candidacy continued, Bahçeli's statement, "We will work with all our might to make the necessary legal arrangements in order to be elected for at least three terms, and we will succeed," added a different dimension to the discussion. Upon Bahçeli's statements, leading figures of power, especially the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop, argued that there is no legal obstacle in Erdogan's re-election. With this discussion, it came to light that there was a candidacy crisis in the People's Alliance.
BAHÇELİ IMPLIED THE NEED FOR LEGAL REGULATION
In the People's Alliance, this time, there is a second term candidacy crisis. Regarding the debates of MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli that Erdoğan will not be a candidate in the elections in 2023, “We work with all our strength to make the necessary legal arrangements so that he can be elected for at least three terms. We will succeed” also revealed the crisis in the alliance. While Bahçeli is implying that he needs a legal regulation with this statement, successive statements from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) wing state that there is no obstacle.
ŞENTOP AND UÇUM: “NO LEGAL OBSTACLE”
Shortly after Bahçeli's statement, the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop said, "This issue is clear, as of April 2018, when Article 101 entered into force, it contains a new provision. In the new system, the president was given the right to be elected twice. Article 101 has completely changed, and a new provision has come. Chief Advisor to the President, Mehmet Uçum, said, “There is no legal obstacle. After April 16, 2017, Mr. President served for one term. Therefore, if he becomes a candidate in the 2023 elections, this will be his second term”, pointing out that there is no need for a new legal regulation.
BAHÇELİ'S STATEMENT GIVES A MESSAGE TO ERDOĞAN
With Bahçeli's statement that candidacy needs a regulation while the ruling wing underlining that this is not the case, it is a matter of curiosity why Bahçeli made such a statement. Political scientists point out that with this statement, Bahçeli sent the message "You need me for the candidacy" to Erdoğan. It is stated that the statements made at short intervals by Şentop, Chief Advisor to the President Mehmet Uçum and AKP group deputies are against Bahçeli's message.