Çeler: Attempt To Undermine People’s Will Is a Democracy Scandal

Çeler said the resolution includes statements declaring that “a return to federal solution efforts will never be allowed” and that “negotiations can only begin if President Ersin Tatar’s views and decisions are taken into account.”

He argued that supporters of President Tatar have been using the results of the 2020 presidential election to justify their two-state stance. “If this election campaign is again being run along the ‘two states or federation’ axis, then trying to bind the people’s will before the vote is a major democracy scandal,” he said.

Çeler questioned the legitimacy of such a move: “If this election is truly about choosing between two states and federation, by what right are you deciding the course of the next term with your parliamentary majority instead of waiting for the people’s verdict? Is this your understanding of democracy?”

He warned that if the proposal is passed, even in the event of a Tufan Erhürman victory in the presidential election, the Parliament could use the decision as a pretext to block him from negotiating. “In the case of an Erhürman win, they’ll cite this decision and say, ‘you can’t negotiate,’ effectively diluting the people’s will,” he said.

Çeler stressed that the people’s choice will be determined at the ballot box: “If it’s up to the people to choose between two states and federation, then the 28 members of Parliament should wait for that decision. No one has the right to interfere with the will of the people or move their ballot box.”