Anniversary of the "postmodern" coup 25 years since the overthrow of the Erbakan government in Turkey

Twenty-five years ago, the Turkish National Security Council held a meeting that led to decisions that are the starting point for the 1997 coup, which hastened the overthrow of former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, the leader of the Welfare Party, and the termination of his coalition government.

On February 28, 1997, the leadership of the Turkish National Security Council held a meeting that paved the way for what has come to be referred to in political history as the "postmodern coup", and its effects on Turkish political life were claimed "will last for a thousand years if necessary."

The coalition government established on June 28, 1996, consisting of the "Welfare" and "The True Path" parties, headed by the late Necmettin Erbakan, faced accusations of "posing a threat to the system" and "supporting reaction", shortly after receiving it. work tasks.

In 1996, the Turkish government was criticized by the Supreme Military Council, accusing its members of engaging in "reactionary activities".

Erbakan’s visit to the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and his proposal for the idea of ​​the Group of Eight developing Islamic countries, and the invitation of a group of clerics to a Ramadan breakfast, and the organization of the municipality of “Sinjan” in the capital, Ankara, which was affiliated with the “Welfare Party” at the time, constituted an event that bore the name “ Jerusalem Night” on January 31, 1997, an excuse that the National Security Council used to make statements claiming that “reactionary currents” pose a greater threat to the state than the terrorist PKK organization.

The Supreme Military Council took advantage of the previous points, and ordered the army's tanks and armored vehicles to go out to the streets of the district of "Sincan" district in Ankara, which led to the acceleration of the events leading to the coup of February 28, 1997.

Xinjiang woke up on the morning of February 4, 1997 to the sounds of tanks. A convoy of 15 tanks and 20 armored vehicles drove through the area's streets, to warn of an imminent military coup against the elected government.

On that day, the Chief of the General Staff, General Joek Behr, told local media, "We have adjusted the balances in the democratic process."

After this development, which was described as a "warning from the military", Sincan Mayor Bakir Yildiz was dismissed from his post, and he and 9 of his friends were arrested on charges of "inciting people to hatred and enmity". These developments led to serious political debates.

After Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tansu Ciller conveyed to Erbakan a state of unease within the military establishment, deep disagreements arose between the government coalition partners over the way to deal with this crisis.

The National Security Council holds its longest meeting

Meanwhile, the National Security Council held a meeting in Cankaya Palace (the seat of the Presidency of the Republic at the time) headed by President Suleiman Demirel, the first in its history.

That meeting, which paved the way for new trends at the political and social levels, lasted 8 hours and 45 minutes, which called on followers of Turkish political affairs to consider it the longest meeting in the history of the Council.

In addition to Erbakan, Chief of General Staff Ismail Hakki Karadeyi and Chiller, Defense Minister Turhan Tayan, Interior Minister Meral Aksener, commanders of the Ground Forces Hikmet Koksal, Navy Goven Argaya, Air Ahmed Gorky, Gendarmerie Teoman Koman and the Secretary-General of the National Security Council participated in the meeting, in addition to Erbakan. Ilhan Kılıç.

The meeting was also attended by National Intelligence Agency Adviser Sonmes Koksal, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Onur Oymen, Director of Public Security Alaeddin Yuksel, Governor of the Emergency District Necati Peligan, General Secretary of the President of the Republic Necdet Sejkin Koz, Chief of General Intelligence of the General Intelligence General Cetin Saner and First Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council. National Security Necdet Timor.

Erbakan tried not to sign the decisions of the council

The meeting of the National Security Council resulted in a 4-point statement that has come to be referred to in Turkish political history as the "postmodern coup".

During the meeting, a list of demands from the government was organized, which included an increase in basic education to 8 years, and non-employment of those expelled from military service because of their involvement in "reactionary activities" within municipal cadres.

Erbakan refused to sign the list prepared by the National Security Council, and demanded the Secretary-General of the Council to reduce penalties for cases of breach of its demands, especially with regard to the following phrase included in the statement: and social harmony through discrimination between individuals on an anti-secular basis.

The aforementioned statement, which was published after the meeting of the National Security Council, also affirmed that "it will never be tolerated in matters related to the implementation of the constitution and the laws of the republic." After that, Kılıç said that he met with Erbakan, who signed the council's decisions after the aforementioned meeting.

Close the Welfare Party

In the wake of these developments, Erbakan resigned from the premiership and transferred his duties to his deputy, Ciller, but the then President of the Republic, Demirel, gave the task of forming the new government to Mesut Yilmaz, leader of the "Motherland" party.

A coalition government was established consisting of the "Motherland" party headed by Yilmaz, and the "Democratic Left" headed by Bulent Ecevit, who served as Deputy Prime Minister in that government.

Meanwhile, the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court during that period, Ral Sawash, called on the Turkish judiciary to close the Welfare Party as part of a lawsuit he filed with the court, accusing its leaders of "committing acts against the republic and secularism."

On January 16, 1998, the Constitutional Court decided to close the Welfare Party, and imposed a 5-year political ban on Erbakan and a number of party leaders, led by Shavkat Kazan, Ahmed Tekdal, Shawki Yilmaz, Hasan Hussein Gilan, and Ibrahim Khalil Celik.