Erdogan and AKP promote new coup drama to abuse Turkish people

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become haunted by the idea of a coup against his rule, while talk of a new coup drama has become commonplace among leaders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the media and religious leaders close to the regime, whether in the form of a warning or a reminder.

Allegations

In this regard, it is sufficient to refer to the allegations of Sheikh Ahmed Mahmoud Unlu, famously known as Jabali Ahmed, who is close to the Turkish president, about seeing a vision of a new military coup in Turkey 6-7 months ago. It is interesting that he had said the same thing before the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016. Erdogan described it as "a blessing from God."

This quick and unusual escalation in the public Turkish talk about a coup confirms that Erdogan is trying to use the issue to change the agenda in the country, tighten the noose and mobilize his constituents. He orchestrated a coup against his government in 2016 to present himself as a victim and close the ranks of his supporters in the face of collective separations in order to declare martial law in preparation for finalizing his authoritarian regime.

Reasons for the new drama

Erdogan is plagued by his internal crises such as his failure to deal with the corona pandemic and the collapse of the economy under his rule, such that Turkey has become on the verge of bankruptcy, as well as high unemployment. The Russian S-400 air defense missile system has cost Turkey $2 billion, which was a waste, while investors have left the Turkish market due to the escalating differences between Ankara and Washington, as well as popular anger as a result of Ankara’s policy of repression. This is in addition to the tensions in foreign relations with neighboring countries because of Turkey’s aggressive policies that have caused chaos throughout the region. All this led to a sharp decline in Erdogan’s popularity, so his rule could come to an end in the event of free and fair elections, which was confirmed by the defeat of the AKP in the municipal elections last year, especially in important major municipalities such as Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya and Izmir.

Frequent rumors of the coup enabled Erdogan to strengthen his grip on the military, ordering the arrest of 700 people, including 157 military personnel, in the latest purge campaign targeting government employees in order to conceal the collapse of the AKP and the failure of authoritarian rule, just as happened a few months before the events of July 2016. This allowed him to purify the ranks of the Turkish army and other ministries, the media, and schools and universities.

Opposition

The opposition parties have denounced Erdogan's wars and the rumors of a coup spread by his supporters, especially since all ministries and institutions are under his control. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, intelligence service head Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, and Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, who is also Erdogan’s son-in-law, in addition to the head of the Religious Affairs Authority, Ali Arbash, and others. These five are the backbone of Erdogan's strategy for state administration.

Former Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, who was one of the founders of the AKP, expects that Erdogan's regime will not be able to continue ruling until 2023.

If there are early elections, Erdogan knows very well that his popularity has declined and he can no longer support himself, and that his departure has become only a matter of time. An opinion poll conducted by in April showed that the AKP's popularity has declined by 18% in the wake of the corona crisis.

Observers find that Erdogan has long been preparing for an armed conflict between Islamists and secularists to bring about an Islamist revolution and establish his Islamist republic as the only option to can save himself from the danger of trial and detention after his departure from power.

Interior forces vs. army

To this end, Erdogan has increased the ability of the Internal Security Forces to confront the army, and then he formed a new force to confront the Internal Security Forces, in addition to the defense and arms company SADAT to protect his throne no matter the cost. Because he was a lot of injustice, he was involved in unprecedented theft and corruption, and even entered into secret, controversial and suspicious relations with many countries, and once he leaves power, he will open all these files, as if the gates of hell had opened in his face.