PNN – If Kurdish representatives join the Erdogan-Baghçeli coalition, the Republican People’s Party, as Türkiye’s oldest party and the president’s main opponent, will find itself in a difficult situation.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, these days, if we flip through newspapers printed in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, we constantly encounter sentences and headlines about the need to change and amend the country’s constitution.
Today, many Turkish newspapers, including Hurriyet, Melitta, Aksham, Tagum, and Yeni Şafak, have reported, citing Recep Tayyip Erdogan and many other ruling party officials, that the effort to change the law is an important and serious project.
Erdogan has stated that his sole goal in trying to change the law is to ensure the welfare, satisfaction, and security of Türkiye’s 86 million citizens, and that opposition parties must also fulfill their national duty.
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But Ozgur Ozil, leader of the Republican People’s Party, responded to Erdogan’s request to accompany him on the path to constitutional reform, saying: I am not willing to make even a plate of omelette with you, let alone change the constitution!
But how did the word omelette come into this story and what is the socio-political background of this concept? In answer, it must be said that a specific type of omelette, known in Turkey as Menemen, plays a fundamental role in the world of politics, election campaigns, and competitions.
During election season, many Turkish politicians enter students’ dormitories to empathize with them and show off their skills in cooking this type of omelet in front of television cameras in advertising programs to show that they are also fans of this simple dish.
Perhaps the only difference between this omelet and the type we know in Iran is that in Turkey, after the eggs are added to the tomato, oil, paste, and onion mixture, some cheese is also added.
In any case, Ozgur Ozel, with this contemptuous response to Erdogan, announced that he would not even join him for a simple omelet-making challenge and that the president’s job would be difficult.
Dervishoglu: Erdogan’s hand is exposed for us
One of Erdogan’s most ardent opponents in the current Turkish political climate is the leader of the Good Party, or AY Party, Mesut Darvisoglu. The far-right leader, who took over the helm of the party after Meral Aksener resigned, does not trust the dialogue process between the government, Öcalan, and the PKK.
Although yesterday, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus met with Dervisoglu to seek cooperation in changing the constitution, he openly attacked the president in a conversation with reporters, saying: In my meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, I made it clear that we will not support any kind of constitutional change that would strengthen the one-man regime. My position and that of our party on the constitution, as on other issues, is clear and unambiguous. What Türkiye needs today is to get rid of the presidential system of government, which is described as a one-man rule and endangers the future of all of us.
Democratic Party: Everyone should share in cooking the omelette
Ms. Meral Danesh Beshtaş, one of Abdullah Ocalan’s lawyers and a leader of the Democratic Party, stated in her speech in the Turkish Parliament yesterday, addressing Ozgur Ozil, the leader of the Republican People’s Party: I want to say without exaggeration; the conditions in the country are not so luxurious and peaceful that you can safely say that you have nothing to do with this omelette and load up your own food! That is not the case at all. You too should participate in cooking this meal. Democratization is an issue that concerns everyone.
Aytunç Erkin, an analyst for the Ankara-based newspaper Nafs, also said: “I spoke with Meral Danesh Beshtaş about the law reform process. She clearly said: All parties must participate. We must agree on a text that reflects the wishes of 86 million people. We have been talking for decades about the need for a democratic constitution. For us, the constitution is an important issue and we will not reduce it to the re-nomination of one person.
Roshan Chaker, a renowned analyst at Mediascope who has met and interviewed PKK leaders in the Qandil Mountains, says about the current trend: I spoke to the Democratic Party leaders. They do not consider Ozgur Ozil’s position appropriate and say: The issue is not whether you want to make an omelet with Erdogan or not. This issue goes beyond the role of the individual and individual taste. In this path, you are not accompanying Erdogan, but the entire Turkish parliament.
After taking the positions of the government, the Kurds, and the opposition, Turkish political analysts once again pointed out the importance of this question: Have the Kurds sided with the government in exchange for some concessions?
Yildirim Ugur, a Turkish political analyst, has said in a sarcastic statement: Many people think that after the dissolution of the PKK, the Qandil Mountains, as the main base of the leaders, commanders, and members of this group, will become a ski resort in the near future! But there is still no news of disarmament.
It is worth noting that there is still no clear news or information about the possibility of an agreement between the government, the ruling party, and the Kurds close to Öcalan. However, many Turkish political analysts believe that Erdogan and Bahçeli are seeking to gain the consent and support of the Kurds by changing Article 66 of the country’s constitution.