News & Comment
The Second to Last Supreme Court Decision for MHP (Nationalist Movement Party)

News:

The last development on the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) Congress crisis occurred front of the Hotel Büyük Anadolu where Meral Akşener, Koray Aydın, Sinan Oğan and Ümit Özdağ wanted to organize a congress. But the police did not let anyone inside the hotel where the congress was going to be made. (Agencies)

Comment:

Opposition voices against MHP leadership began materializing and moving more after the 1 November election. The opposition wanted the party to go to congress in order to change the party by law so that they could redo the in-House elections. But MHP led by Bahçeli stated that this would be against the party by law and that they could only organize their planned congress in 2018. The opposition went to court against this order.

Even tough Ankara's 12th Court of Peace ordered that there could be a congress on 13th of May 2016, the local and unauthorized courts in the towns of Gemerek and Tosya ordered stay of execution. Also Ankara's 25th Executive Directorate wanted from the Ministry of Justice to stop the congress so Governor of Ankara and the police stopped it.

The opposition stated that they are against the support of the leadership of AKP (Justice and Development Party) and their resolve with these statements: ''We will go to congress in June'', and ''We will save MHP from being the backyard of AKP (Justice and Development Party)''. MHP under the leadership of Devlet Bahçeli has supported AKP on a lot of occasions in critical times even tough being an opposition party. Anasol-MHP government came down with Devlet Bahçeli's early election call and after that AKP came to power in 2002. In 2007 in the Presidency elections MHP supported AKP for the needed 367 assembly number and Abdullah Gül became president. In the Ergenekon prosecutions Bahçeli said ''We should not interfere with the justice'', and in AKP's closing case, sided with the policy of those parties should be closed only trough elections. By staying neutral in the parliament presidency elections MHP supported Ismet Yılmaz to become President of the Parliament. In 2013 Constitution change, in 2014 Syria-Iraq discharge papers and when ''Gezi Incidents'' happened, MHP took a demeanor in favor of AKP.

In their justice struggle for now they are waiting for the Supreme Court order. Even though the Supreme Court could give their order in very little time they gave this statement, ''We will announce the order in May''.

If the Supreme Court orders for congress it is very likely for the opposition to take over the leadership. That for months MHP's leadership is running from congress, that they give the image that they are close to AKP in order to beat the opposition and that yesterday (15/05/2016) in the 5.000 people that came to congress there are more than 800 delegates even though the required number of 621 demonstrates that Bahçeli's leadership is weak. But of course for this it is important for the opposition to work together. If the Supreme Court does not order for congress, MHP central that is supported by thousands of people and hundreds of delegates will continue to lose its legitimacy and the opposition may go on with another movement or they may wait for the planned congress in 2018. We are facing critical subjects for the system such as the Presidency System, political immunity and terrorism. Most certainly, AKP wants in these times to see a MHP lead by Devlet Bahçeli and is demonstrating this by their actions whenever the opportunity arises. But the founder of the system, the English, will do everything in their power for the MHP congress to become more effective in MHP.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Musa Bayoğlu