The elections are not legitimate. Neither Erdoğan’s nomination process nor what happened in the first round. Of course, there is more than that.
The goal of restoring the worn-out institutions of the Turkish state was the common goal of all the actors of the order as a whole. Just a few months ago, the election results were declared fraudulent by those who said “I don’t trust the YSK (Supreme Election Council)”, and the analyses made on the basis of these declared results were part of the work of providing legitimacy. The left, which could not set up an independent line from the bourgeois opposition and the ones who called Erdoğan and the Palace Regime “thieves”, eased the bourgeois opposition’s operation to justify theft through elections.
The election results were announced as controversial at the very beginning. It was decided that the Palace Regime, whose economy is based on looting, rent-seeking and war, would continue with Erdoğan as long as it goes. The Palace Regime is an extension of the US, it has been decided that the role of the Turkish State will continue as a war trigger and escalator.
While the world is experiencing a war of partition for the 3rd time, the rulers are reorganizing nationalism all over the world through NATO as a means of escalating the war. Kılıçdaroğlu’s so-called “harsh discourse” in the second round was based on refugee and Kurdish hostility, and all elements of the system took steps to organize a new nationalism together. It was also clear that no matter what came out of the ballot box, it would not benefit the common struggle of the peoples and the working class.
When we talk about the Palace Regime, we have never excluded the bourgeois opposition from it, we do not. The Palace Regime is a body with bourgeois opposition. While the role of one – the government (t.n) – is to become reckless in attacks on workers, peoples, women, students, the other – the opposition (t.n.) – as the “protector of the state” – is charged with telling the angry masses to “wait at home.” It is not difficult to remember who did what to suppress the rebellion; the Ekmeleddin case [1], the İnce incident [2], the referendum [3] are still fresh. The support for Erdoğan and the Palace Regime continues today with the bourgeois opposition’s acceptance of the elections, every step of which is illegitimate, shady, and full of theft. This blind alignment behind the bourgeois opposition has damaged the resistance front.
Without waiting for the elections, the resistance forces could have focused on expanding the struggle and resistance, using the elections to expand this line of resistance and come out of this process with gains. This opportunity was missed and the agenda of developing the line of resistance was pushed back with this baseless trust in the bourgeois opposition.
The fact that the only power that really frightens the Palace Regime is all the resistance dynamics in these lands has been overlooked, and it has been a big mistake that this resistance has not showed up with its own candidate as an independent power based on the struggle of workers, laborers, women, students and peoples.
On the one hand, the resistance of the Kurdish people, which cannot be suppressed by isolation, trustees [4] and massacres, and on the other hand, the resistance in the West is developing despite the attacks. This is where we had to look, where we had to grow, we have to grow.
The Palace Regime will not be able to rest with this “victory” that it declared by all means and force. Neither the economic crisis nor the political crisis will end, it will continue to deepen, the dissolution will deepen.
Focal points of resistance continue to exist. Instead of pitching in with “fear” politics of the bourgeois opposition, CHP, it is necessary to focus on growing the resistance against all attacks. The good days of the Gezi Resistance, which opened great breaches in the wall of fear and has been the fearful dream of the rulers since that day, stand before us as a guide for the millions who draw their strength from their own action, who do not wait, who are liberated on the street.
The Palace Regime will go and the way to this is the resistance. The victory of the resistances take their source from organization, from the United Labor Front.
The coming period will be a period in which resistance will rise. This is where we need to look. It is imperative to work for a line that expands and consolidates the resistance and makes it organized.
Actions and streets are the first steps towards liberation, organization is freedom.
The Palace Regime will go with resistance, the last word will be said on the street!
28 May 2023
Kaldıraç Movement
[1] Ekmeleddin case; the current main opposition party CHP and MHP, one of the opposition back then but now the partner of AKP in the government, nominated Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu as the candidate for the presidency in 2014 Presidential Elections in Turkey and got 38.44% of the votes. He was seen as a candidate with right-wing roots that was unknown to many. (t.n.)
[2] İnce incident; the current main opposition party CHP nominated Muharrem ince as the candidate for the presidency in 2018 Presidential Elections in Turkey and got 30.64% of the votes. At the night of the election, He tweeted that Erdoğan won when many questionable, illegitimate issues with the elections was present. (t.n.)
[3] Referendum, A constitutional referendum was held in Turkey on 16 April 2017 on whether to approve 18 proposed amendments to the Turkish constitution that were brought forward by the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Turkish_constitutional_referendum
[4] The overwhelming majority of the mayors of People’s Democratic Party were replaced by state imposed trustees of the Turkish Ministry of the Interior. Source: https://www.duvarenglish.com/politics/2020/10/02/hdp-left-with-six-municipalities-out-of-65-it-won-in-march-2019-elections
