Oktay Eksi: One of two choices

It's true....the election of Tayyip Erdogan to the presidency of the Turkish Republic will create a huge blow for this Republic which was formed by the Great Ataturk.
 
Because no matter how much Erdogan may hide it, he is still against almost everything-starting off with the very philosophy-about this Republic.

Those who don't see him fit for the presidency-let me make my own views perfectly clear here-are making the correct analysis.

Which is why we say: "We wish that there could be an agreement made over someone who actually believed in the basic values of the Republic, and that that person could be chosen to take the office of the President."

But we all live in Turkey. And we all know that this country has not yet reached that level of democratic maturity. And so we affirm that it is better for us to express our thoughts not based on feelings and emotions, but rather based on certain truths.
 
One truth is that-barring any extraordinary circumstances-Tayyip Erdogan will be elected president of Turkey. Let's all acknowledge this truth. And then let's ask, will this be good or bad for this country?

Despite the fact that our hearts are not happy, that are emotions are flowing over on this count, the fact is that Tayyip Erdogan, compared with any other of the names from the Justice and Development (AKP) Party, is "good."

 
Because if Erdogan were to stay on as Prime Minister, the person he would push to have elected as president would then remain under his hegemony, and thus he would have to authorities at his fingertips at the same time.
 
And that would mean, in all practical senses, a good bye to democracy.
 
On the other hand, with Erdogan elected to the presidency, his word will, after a certain period of time has passed, have no authority over that of the Prime Minister's. And after awhile, just as we saw happen with Turgut Ozal, he will find his authority lacking, and start to make problems.

 
And thus, with Erdogan elected to the presidency, the AKP will go through a decline, and a period of splintering.
 
As others do, we observe that a Tayyip Erdogan elected to the presidency will-as he has not been quite able to up until today-be able to take over certain organizations, such as the Constitutional Court, the Council of State, the Supreme Court, the Board of Higher Education, the universities, and, if the information we have received is not incorrect, the High Board of Prosecutors and Judges.

And we accept that this will be a situation that holds many threats for the future of the secular republic. But if, at the cost of standing Erdogan as President for seven years, we have the opportunity of ridding ourselves of the AKP, we chose this option over the other, which is handing the fate of the country over to the AKP mentality for another few periods of rule.