Victims of republic march for 2023

The convention in Ankara where Ahmet Davutoğlu was elected Justice and Development Party (AK Party) chairman and nominated as prime minister was worth seeing. The AK Party delegates sent their leader to the presidential palace in a glorious ceremony; this was an emotional moment. It was not a conventional farewell; it was actually a new start.

I am aware that I use the words “leader” and “prime minister” in separate connotations because the overall picture in the hall once again confirmed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership has been approved and endorsed by the masses. The party elected a new prime minister and a new chairman, not a new leader. The speech of the president was a political manifesto, and Erdoğan's sentences and remarks which constituted this political manifesto showed that he will be following the political program he promised to implement.

From this perspective, the recent party convention confirmed that Erdoğan will de facto act as a president who is affiliated with his party even if the Constitution is not amended in the new era, and discussions have been raised as to whether the president will be heavily involved in political affairs.

This is the case even though Erdoğan, when declaring this fact, made frequent references to “as long as the law allows it.” The convention was also a gathering where the two politicians, who declared that they are in full agreement over their worldview, ideological stance and the political program the AK Party will pursue toward 2023, established fellowship in the AK Party.

The vision paper announced following the presidential election places special emphasis on the 1921 constitution. In his speech, President Erdoğan recalled the political environment that created the 1921 constitution and the first Parliament, which convened on April 23, 1920. He listed the national and religious groups which were once part of the Ottoman state. But he then recalled that the republican years turned into a period of denial and assimilation. The AK Party aims to have a stronger government in 2015 and make a new constitution built on the philosophy of the 1921 constitution.

Yesterday was a historic day in Ankara. We witnessed a convention where people who experienced defeat in the republican era but drew lessons out of this defeat came together. I think that there have been some major cases of victimization during the republican era; I believe that these cases of victimization have driven the victims to express solidarity and sense of fellowship; the pain in the memories of the victims brings them together at such events.

We witness the same in the pro-Kurdish conventions and gatherings because there is a different story of victimization there. At the AK Party convention, we witnessed instances in which the victims of the past but the powerful figures of the present delivered strong messages on what path they would travel to attain their 2023 goals in Turkey. These were emotional moments. It appeared that the AK Party left behind discussions on who would become prime minister. Erdoğan showed that he is the indisputable leader of the AK Party and its cause; this position and leadership have been confirmed by the congress.

Those interested in history may also consider the recent convention as a parenthesis closing the period that started in 1908 and frame it in this historical context. There is no problem in doing so.