Olcay Kılavuz, president of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) youth wing Grey Wolves (Ülkü Ocakları), said on Sunday that they don’t want tensions in Turkey, however they can take up arms and fight against local and external enemies of Turkey.
Speaking during a gathering of MHP members in İstanbul on Sunday, Kılavuz said they will support ‘yes’ camp during April 16 referendum for a switch to executive presidency in Turkey as MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli announced earlier.
“We have to stand behind our word after leader [Bahçeli] said ‘yes’ and we don’t want any tension, unpleasantness and unrest [in the country]. But when it comes to serve to country, we will be there without a backward glance. When the nation is in need, we will take up our arms and fight if necessary,” he said.
Disgraced former Minister of European Union Affairs Egemen Bağış has also said in a radio show on Saturday that citizens in Turkey should vote in favor of executive presidency in April 16 referendum to avoid civil war. “We have to say ‘yes’ to make Turkey stronger, to have stability and avoid civil war,” the former minister said who was had to step down in 2014 as a result of a massive corruption investigation.
Bağış was accused of being bribed by Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab who is currently under arrest in the United States. The due process was aborted in Turkey when the government covered up the corruption investigation implicating Bağış and other ministers of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as well as the family of the then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Bağış currently serves as an advisor to Erdoğan.
Turkey will hold a referendum on April 16 to switch from parliamentary system to executive presidency. Critics oppose the change on ground that a one-man rule will be institutionalized in the country.
Turkey will hold a referendum on April 16 on a constitutional reform package that will bring an executive presidency to Turkey.
The ruling AKP, backed by the MHP, pushed through the legislation that President Erdoğan says will bring the strong leadership needed to prevent a return of the fragile coalition governments of the past.
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli publicly announces his support for the reforms. (SCF with turkishminute.com)
