Speaking at his party’s parliamentary group meeting yesterday, Baykal said: “I do not care about Erdoğan’s insults. The prime minister is in a bad situation. ” Baykal’s remarks came in response to Erdoğan, who earlier in the day vowed not to mention the names of Baykal or Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli.
Referring to a recent statement from Erdoğan, who complained that he sometimes had moments that dampened his morale as well in response to remarks uttered by Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ, who said in an interview in a Turkish daily that a smear campaign launched against the military has negatively affected the morale of his soldiers, Baykal said the reason Erdoğan’s morale was damaged was because of the results of public surveys regarding the 2011 general elections. These public surveys, according to Baykal, show that the number of votes for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has fallen dramatically. “Removal of this government from power has become certain. This government not only resulted in the country becoming economically bankrupt but also spiritually bankrupt,” he said.
