AKP trying to introduce dicta regime through new charter: CHP

ANKARA

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The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trying to impose a dicta regime on Turkey through a shift to a presidential system that would grant more powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said, reiterating his opposition to changing “the regime of the republic.”“The [change to] a presidential [system] is about a regime discussion. You are changing the regime of the Republic of Turkey,” he said Nov. 15 in an address to his party group.Kılıçdaroğlu responded to PM Binali Yıldırım who earlier said a shift to presidential system had nothing to do with a regime debate.“The regime discussion ended in 1923 [at the founding of the republic]. Nobody is arguing about the republic. We want to change the constitution, not the regime,” Yıldırım said.Kılıçdaroğlu responded to Yıldırım, arguing that the constitutional amendment which the AKP was proposing would impose a dicta regime on Turkey.“If you crown the republic with a democracy, you strengthen the regime. But if you turn the republic into a dictatorship, then it is a regime change. You [AKP] want to turn the republic into a dicta [regime],” he said.“If they come to us asking to strengthen the economy, I promise we will support it. But they are insisting on bringing in a presidential system,” he said, stressing that the AKP’s aim was to make Erdoğan the executive president of Turkey.“They say we have a man we would like for the [executive] presidency. Why? Because he will be an [executive] president. We don’t have a reason, but he has, they say,” he said.He also responded to AKP Deputy Chair Yasin Aktay, who suggested that Kılıçdaroğlu should be on trial for not revealing the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ).The CHP chief recalled Aktay’s statement last week who said: “We were naive. But Kılıçdaroğlu knew that they were a terrorist organization. Therefore, he should be on trial.”Kılıçdaroğlu blasted Aktay, saying former intelligence and military chiefs had briefed the party about the danger of the organization, but that they did not heeded the threat. “On Aug. 25, 2004, your party received a document. The undersecretary of MİT [National Intelligence Service] and the chief of defense said this organization [FETÖ] is dangerous, and they told you they were collecting money. But you said they were exaggerating. And now you say you were fooled,” he said.Kılıçdaroğlu added that the CHP submitted a motion in 2013, asking for the formation of a parliamentary commission to investigate the activities of Gülen but that it was not received well by the government.“We gave a motion in 2013. We said we have to form an investigation commission about it. We said they infiltrated the judiciary and the army. They [newspapers close to the AKP] said we were trying to finish Gülen,” he said.“The AKP rescued Gülen, [the newspaper headlined]; this is their newspaper. It says that the AKP rescued Gülen with an amendment on counter-terrorism law.”