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MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli: “Elections Are Not a Plaything”

devlet bahceli

In a powerful address to the Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi (MHP) parliamentary group on April 21, 2026, Chairman Devlet Bahçeli delivered a stern message to the opposition regarding early election rumors, while also tackling the recent national trauma caused by tragic school shootings in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş.

Elections: No Shortcuts or Political Tricks

Addressing the persistent calls for early elections following the geopolitical and economic shifts of early 2026, Bahçeli reaffirmed the “People’s Alliance” stance on the electoral calendar.

  • Fixed Schedule: Bahçeli emphasized that elections are not “toys to be put forward with political acrobatics” and will be held as scheduled.

  • National Will: He described the parliament as the “main gate” of national sovereignty, urging all political actors to respect the established timeline rather than seeking opportunistic shifts.

Digital Anarchy and the School Attacks

A significant portion of the speech was dedicated to the devastating school shootings that occurred just days prior. On April 15-16, 2026, separate attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş left multiple students and teachers dead, sending shockwaves across Türkiye.

The Scale of the Tragedy

  • Kahramanmaraş: 9 fatalities (8 students, 1 teacher) after a student opened fire at Ayser Çalık Middle School.

  • Şanlıurfa: 16 injuries following an attack by a former student armed with a shotgun.

  • Digital Connection: Bahçeli highlighted that hundreds of social media accounts were blocked and Telegram groups closed following the attacks, pointing to a “corrupt order of sedition” online that normalizes violence.

“We cannot abandon our children to the identityless climate of the virtual world or the harsh language of screens that normalizes violence. As the screen light increases, the light in our children’s eyes must not fade,” Bahçeli stated.

Policy Proposals for Youth Protection

Bahçeli called for a “root-cause” approach rather than temporary fixes:

  1. Digital Oversight: He argued that digitalization without oversight becomes a mechanism that “poisons social life.”

  2. The Educational Triangle: He stressed the need to strengthen the bond between the Family (the first school), the School (the second home), and the State (the protective roof).

  3. Human Values in Curriculum: Beyond math and science, he urged that the “inviolability of human life” and responsibility must be taught as core subjects.

The speech served as both a political boundary-setting exercise and a call for national unity in the face of rising digital-age threats to Türkiye’s youth.

Source: karar

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