CHP leader accuses Erdogan of Constitutional coup

In the escalating tension between Turkey's Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Appeals, CHP (Republican People's Party) Chairman Ozgur Ozel has delivered a scathing rebuke to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's defense of the judiciary. The row has intensified following the Constitutional Court's decision that the rights of imprisoned TİP (Worker's Party of Turkey) Hatay MP Can Atalay were violated, leading to a criminal complaint by the Court of Cassation against its members.

President Erdogan has publicly backed the Court of Cassation, expressing disappointment with the Constitutional Court's judgments. "No one can deny that the Court of Cassation is a supreme court," Erdogan stated, emphasizing the gravity of the Constitutional Court's alleged errors. He further insisted that the Court of Cassation's decisions must stand unchallenged and that they seek appropriate sanctions against the Constitutional Court.

At the end of a lawyers' march organized by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, Ozel joined the legal community to show solidarity. Addressing the crowd in front of the Constitutional Court, Ozel condemned the President's remarks and accused him of leading an insurrection against the constitutional order of Turkey. He argued that the government, lacking the parliamentary majority to amend the Constitution, instead disregards it with the President's support.

Ozel did not mince words, labeling President Erdogan a "coup plotter" and calling the situation a "coup attempt" against the Constitution. He implored the President to uphold the Constitution, warning that failure delegitimizes his authority. The standoff marks a severe challenge to the rule of law in Turkey, with the outcome likely to have far-reaching implications for the country's constitutional integrity.