Turkey’s opposition parties take unified stance against coup attempt
All parties in Turkey’s parliament decried the coup attempt by small clique of Gülenist-linked military commanders took place late Friday, which was mostly quelled by troops loyal to the government, police units and millions of Turkish citizens taking to the streets in protest.
The head of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahçeli made a telephone call to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım on Friday and said the attempted coup is not acceptable.
According to a statement form the Turkish Prime Ministry, Bahçeli said his party is in solidarity with Turkish Republic.
Later, in a written statement, Bahçeli said an attempt at suspending democracy and ignoring the national will is a big mistake against Turkey.
“The price Turkey will pay will be considerably high in the event of a civil war in Turkey. As Turkish people, we need to be distant to all kinds of interventions risking our national unity and integrity,” he said.
In addition, Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, said early Saturday that the community should have a unified reaction to every coup attempt.
Speaking to Turkey’s private news channel NTV, Kılıçdaroğlu took a stand against a military coup attempt. “Community should give joint reaction to every coup attempt,” he said.
“This country was wracked with coups. We do not want to go through the same troubles. We’ll protect our republic and democracy; keep our commitment to the free will of our citizens.”
“So, whoever does, wherever it comes, we should take a joint stand against the coup as we take a joint stand against terrorism” he added.
A minority group within the Turkish military took illegal action outside the chain of command in an attempted coup late Friday as warplanes and helicopters flew above the heart of the capital of Ankara.
Droves of protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against the illegal coup attempt.
In a joint written statement, People’s Democratic Party (HDP) co-chairs, Selehattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, said no one replaces himself as the national will. “HDP takes a stand against every coup in every condition.”
“There is no way beside protecting the democratic politics,” it added.
Turkish national intelligence says coup attempt has been ‘repelled’ as Turkish nation fights back
Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) spokesman said the coup attempt has been ‘repelled” and Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar is now back in charge.
MIT spokesman Nuh Yılmaz said Akar the situation is back in control and everything would return to normal in few hours.
Police have detained most of the soldiers involved in attempted military coup on Friday night as hundreds of thousands people took onto streets to show solidarity with the elected government.
Soldiers involved in illegal coup attempt retreated from National Intelligence Service (MIT) headquarters after MIT forces fought against fire with fire.
Sources said that no charges will be pressed against soldiers who return to their military posts and surrender their arms.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is supervising ongoing efforts and will speak within a few hours, a spokesman says. He is due to return to Istanbul in the very near future.
Erdoğan said he was still president and Turkey’s commander in chief, promising that plotters would pay the heaviest price.
The news comes as broadcaster TRT – where the original coup announcement was made – returned to the air as the people and police have regained the headquarters.
Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın also told NTV television: “The military commanders have made it clear that the coup plotters violated the chain of command… The people have shown that they stand in solidarity with democracy and the elected government.”
Pro-coup soldiers blocking Istanbul’s Bosporus Bridge surrender, 50 arrested
Approximately 50 soldiers backing the coup against the Turkish government on Saturday surrendered on the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul that they had held throughout the night, television pictures showed.
The soldiers, dressed in full camouflage, walked out from behind their tank holding their hands above their heads, while television stations were in live broadcast. The state-run Anadolu news agency said 50 soldiers were arrested.
Pictures showed supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan jubilantly jumping onto one of the tanks left behind by the departing soldiers, cheering, making victory signs and waving the Turkish flag.
Others sought to run across the bridge that had been closed all night, kicking the helmets and protective gear left behind by the rebel soldiers as they passed.
The bridge was one of the first locations secured by pro-coup troops during the initial stages of the coup.
