Turkey: DEVA executive accused of calling for elections by Erdogan

THE Metin Gurcan, founding member of the opposition party Democracy and Progress (DEVA) in Turkey, was remanded in custody following a court order in the country, pending his trial. He is accused of “political and military espionage“, Reports the state agency Anatolia.

THE Gurjan, who is a retired military man, supported its establishment DEVA by Ali Babacan, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister during his tenure as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. THE Gurjan is also a defense analyst.

The Anatolia broadcast that the police asked him Gurjan for his contacts with foreign diplomats based in Anchor.

In an interview given to local media, o Babacan he said his party supports him Gurjan and his legal advisers will support him “to the end”. The party does not yet know the details of the investigation, he added.

“Gurcan’s work is based on open sources. “He does not have access to state secrets,” he stressed Babacan.

Last week his leader DEVA He said the arrest of his colleague was an attempt to divert public attention away from the financial crisis. The pound has lost 25% of its value since early last week amid concerns about aggressive interest rate cuts, a policy promoted by the president Erdogan.

Polls show that DEVA, founded in March 2020, has a share of around 2%. Its popularity Erdogan and his party, his AKP, has fallen to a multi-year low. The Turks cite financial mismanagement as the main factors for this decline.

The DEVA and other opposition parties are calling for elections, but the government insists the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held as scheduled in June 2023.