Erdogan: we will remain inside a democratic parliamentary system

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted the Turkish democracy is not under threat, but said there could be more arrests in the wake of last week’s failed coup attempt, in a wide-ranging interview.

“We will remain inside a democratic parliamentary system, we will never step back from it,” he said, speaking through a translator, from inside the presidential palace in Ankara.

“However, whatever is necessary for the nation’s peace and stability will be done,” Erdogan said, expressing doubts, however, that the coup attempt was entirely over.

“I don’t think we have come to the end of it yet.”

Erdogan’s comments came moments ahead of announcing a three-month state of emergency in response to the failed coup.

“I would like to underline that the declaration of the state of emergency has the sole purpose of taking the necessary measures, in the face of the terrorist threat that our country is facing,” he said in a televised address, vowing that the “virus in the military will be cleansed”.

In his interview , Erdogan described the attempted coup as “a crime against the Turkish state”, adding that the government was making sure “every step is taken within the law”.

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The Turkish government’s purge of state institutions following Friday night’s failed coup has already cleared out about 60,000 people.

This has led rights organisations and Turkey’s allies to voice some concern about the direction the country is taking after the coup attempt, with some claiming that the president was using the weekend’s events to legitimise the crackdown of any kind of opposition.

Erdogan responded to criticisms about the high number of arrests that followed the coup attempt by giving examples from other countries that faced security threats in the recent past, claiming the Turkish government’s reaction was not any different.

“For example, in the face of terrorist acts, France took numerous steps and certain stands,” he said.

“Did they not detain people en masse? Did they not arrest people in very high numbers? We can not deny those situations.

“Three months ago they had an emergency state, initially it was three months, then it was prolonged.”

The Turkish president also repeated his claim that US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and his movement was behind the coup attempt and said it would be a big mistake if the US decided not to extradite him. Gulen, who lives in exile in the US state of Pennsylvania, has denied any involvement.

But, Erdogan also emphasised that he did not want to strain Turkey’s relations with the US as a result of the extradition request.

“We need to be more sensitive,” he said. “Relations between our countries are based on interests, not feelings. We are strategic partners.”

The Turkish president said he believed foreign countries might have been involved in the failed coup attempt, though he declined to name any.

Erdogan also reiterated Turkey would consider reinstating the death penalty after the failed attempt to overthrow his government.

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“I will approve capital punishment if it’s passed by parliament,” he said.

Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 under reforms aimed at obtaining European Union membership.

Reinstatement would create further issues between the EU and Ankara in the already stalled membership talks.

But, Erdogan insisted that Turkey’s decision on the capital punishment should not affect its relations with the EU.

“If the EU respects democracy it will accept people’s will,” he said. “The world is not simply the European Union. Do you have capital punishment in the US, Russia, China and in many other countries? Yes.”