Erdoğan Contradicts Himself, Denies Meddling With AK Party Election Manifesto

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has denied having said he had read the ruling party's election manifesto, contradicting his own comments made hours earlier.

Erdoğan had told reporters before leaving for Slovenia on Monday that he had shared his views with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu during a meeting last week on what should be written about the presidential system in the ruling party's election manifesto after reading what Davutoğlu had written about it. “The prime minister has addressed his opinions about the presidential system in a very detailed manner. I have read it and expressed my own views as well,” Erdoğan had said.

However, once in Slovenia, Erdoğan changed his discourse and said he had not made any statement in which he confirmed having read the ruling party's election manifesto. “Davutoğlu only shared his views on the presidential system with me and asked my opinion on it, and I shared my views with him,” the president said.

Erdoğan's U-turn came after the opposition criticized his intervention in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). “If he [Erdoğan] openly acts like a supporter of a political party, then he would be asked what he understands by honor. Why did you then take an oath [of impartiality]?” main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu asked on Monday.

Erdoğan, who has long been pushing for a switch to the presidential system, also revealed during the press conference at the airport in İstanbul his expectation that a switch to the presidential system will be a theme in the ruling AK Party's election manifesto.

“I believe he [Davutoğlu] will express his views about the presidential system in the election manifesto. Thus, how our government, the ruling party, perceives the presidential system will be there [in the manifesto]. Personally, this is a very positive development for me,” Erdoğan said.

After being elected president in August last year, Erdoğan took an oath of impartiality on his honor in Parliament. According to the Constitution, in which impartiality of the president is emphasized, a president is required to cut off ties with his political party after being elected to office.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)