Erdogan’s ally wants state of emergency extended

US President Donald Trump congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed to improve bilateral ties. AFP

• Turkish authorities have ordered the detention of 132 people in nationwide operations targeting suspected supporters of a US-based Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating a failed coup two years ago
• Erdogan and his party say the measures are necessary to combat threats to national security

ANKARA: Turkey should extend its nearly two-year state of emergency for some more time, a senior member of the nationalist MHP party allied to President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party said on Tuesday.
Turkey imposed the state of emergency, which limits some freedoms and allows the government to rule by decrees bypassing Parliament, after a failed military coup in July 2016. Erdogan has said he will lift the state of emergency soon.
Mustafa Kalayci, MHP deputy chairman, also told CNN Turk broadcaster that his party would not bargain with the president over seats in Turkey’s new Cabinet following Sunday’s elections, in which the AKP and the MHP secured a parliamentary majority.
Turkish authorities have ordered the detention of 132 people in nationwide operations targeting suspected supporters of a US-based Muslim cleric accused of orchestrating a failed coup two years ago, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Tuesday.
Early on Tuesday, authorities ordered the detention of 30 people in Turkey’s coastguard and navy over their alleged links to Fethullah Gulen’s network, Anadolu said.
In a separate series of operations, authorities ordered the detention of 102 others, including soldiers and security personnel, across 23 provinces, Anadolu said.
Authorities have regularly carried out such operations against alleged Gulen supporters since the July 2016 coup attempt under a state of emergency that limits certain freedoms and extends the detention time for questioning of suspects.
Turkey has detained 160,000 people and dismissed nearly the same number of state employees since the abortive putsch, the UN said in March. Of that number, more than 50,000 have been formally charged and kept in jail during trial.
Erdogan and his party say the measures are necessary to combat threats to national security.
Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, denies involvement in the attempted coup, in which at least 240 people were killed.
French President Emmanuel Macron has congratulated Erdogan over his win in the election on Sunday, Macron’s office said on Tuesday.
“The French president has congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan and wished the Turkish people success in the economic and social development of their country and in the democratic functioning of their institutions,” an Elysee Palace source said.
Macron stressed the importance of a calmer dialogue between Turkey and the EU, the source added.
US President Donald Trump also congratulated Erdogan by telephone on Tuesday and the two leaders agreed to improve bilateral defense and security ties, Erdogan’s office said.