Gov't To Use Book In Bid To Close CHP, Says Kılıçdaroğlu

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said the government will attempt to close down the CHP based on the content of a book being written by the sons of Ülkü Adatepe, the adopted daughter of the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Adatepe's sons initiated a lawsuit in February 2013 demanding that the CHP and Turkey's largest bank, İş Bankası, deliver their grandfather's inheritance to them.

A government whistleblower, who tweets via the pseudonym Fuat Avni, claimed last week that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is planning to confiscate property belonging to the CHP, with the ultimate goal of forcing the Constitutional Court to close down the party. The same Twitter account user claimed on Tuesday that Erdoğan and his associates in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) are planning to close down the CHP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in a bid to eradicate all opposition, thereby easily winning 400 seats in Parliament in the general election on June 7. The move would, in effect, allow the country to be run by a one-party regime.

Kılıçdaroğlu has responded to the claims, saying that he is aware of the plans and vowed to take legal action against those responsible. During an interview published by the Hürriyet daily on Friday, Kılıçdaroğlu said the government plans to use the content of a forthcoming book to achieve its aims. Sharing further details, Kılıçdaroğlu added that the government will cite the charge of “receiving money from outside in unlawful ways” against the main opposition party. He believes the government will attempt to close the party by alleging that İş Bankası had transferred money to the CHP via the Turkish Language Association (TDK).

Celal Bayar established İş Bankası on Atatürk's orders in 1924. Atatürk gave TL 250,000 of the total TL 1 million capital used to found the bank. Before he passed away, he left his property and shares in the bank to the CHP.

Recalling the lawsuit brought by the sons of Adatepe in 2013, Kılıçdaroğlu said that Adatepe's sons lost the lawsuit and he denied the allegation of a bank transfer. He said: “İş Bankası can transfer money to the TDK and the TTK [Turkish Historical Society]. The TDK is a government-run institution and the amount of money that came to or left the institution is known. The government can easily find out whether any amount of money is really transferred between the TDK and İş Bankası. Furthermore, İş Bankası is open to inspections from the BDDK [Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency]. If there is any such money transfer, it can be detected very easily.”

Atatürk's adopted daughter, Adatepe, died in a car accident on Aug. 1, 2012, in Akyazı, east of İstanbul, along the TEM highway. She was 79.

Interior minister denies CHP closure claims

Interior Minister Efkan Ala has responded to the recent claim that the AK Party will try to shut down the CHP by saying “no one can attempt such a thing in Turkey and should not,” the Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday evening.

“This is their [CHP] claim. They must show some substantial evidence since the opposition leader has brought this up. I think it is out of the question. No one can attempt such a thing in Turkey and should not,” said Ala. “But if there happens to be such an attempt, then we would display the same attitude that we have adopted all along: We are against party closures.”

AK Party Deputy Chairman Mehmet Ali Şahin also denied the claims on Thursday evening. He said it was an injustice to accuse the AK Party -- which he argued has expanded freedoms in Turkey -- of plotting to close down opposition parties. He said the political party is strictly against the closure of parties in Turkey, adding that the AK Party had taken many legal initiatives to make the closure of political parties more difficult during its 13-year rule.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)