Despite health issues, Bahçeli seems at steering wheel of Turkey’s new Kurdish initiative

More than a month has passed since the last public appearance of Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s key ally. According to his party, the 77-year-old politician was hospitalized on Feb 4 due to complications with a heart valve that was replaced a decade ago. The valve was surgically replaced once again.

In the weeks that followed, rumors about Bahçeli’s alleged death circulated widely on Turkish social media. It wasn’t until Feb 27 that the MHP strongly denied these rumors, dismissing these claims as baseless and labeled those spreading them as slanderers. That same day, imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan made his historic call to the militant group to dissolve and his first photo in over a decade was released to the public.

Despite recovering from major surgery, Bahçeli remained actively engaged in the ongoing initiative that the ruling bloc refers to as a push for a “terror-free Turkey,” while the Kurdish political movement calls it a “new peace process.” It was him who started the process, in a surprising statement last October, suggesting that Öcalan could benefit from “right to hope,” potentially leading to his release, if he called on the PKK to disband.

On Mar 1, Bahçeli issued a written statement via the MHP’s website, describing Öcalan’s call as “significant and valuable from start to finish.” He also characterized the PKK’s positive response to the appeal as an act of “organizational consistency that benefits everyone.”

“The Nationalist Movement Party is thankful, on behalf of the noble Turkish nation, to anyone who sincerely contributes to the goal of a terror-free Turkey and unconditionally supports the democratization process,” his statement read. As historic as Öcalan’s call was, Bahçeli’s response was nearly equally significant, expressing gratitude to an organization he refers to as a “separatist terrorist organization.” 

Meanwhile, beyond the differences in terminology between the two camps, MHP’s official website has, for some time now, displayed a pop-up message alongside Bahçeli’s photo that reads, “Everyone wins with peace.”

In the days that followed, reports emerged about Bahçeli’s phone calls with members of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party delegation who visited Öcalan, including Tuncer Bakırhan, the party’s co-leader, as well as Selahattin Demirtaş, the former leader of DEM’s predecessor, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), who remains imprisoned.

One of the key figures involved in the process, DEM deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder, appeared on Habertürk channel on Mar 3 for a live interview, which was unusual given that pro-Kurdish politicians have largely been excluded from major media platforms for years. Acknowledging this fact, Önder began the interview by apologizing to independent journalists, including bianet reporter Tuğçe Yılmaz, whose interview requests he had yet to respond to.

During the discussion, Önder revealed details of a phone conversation with Bahçeli, which he had alongside another prominent Kurdish politician, Ahmet Türk. According to Önder, Bahçeli told them, “We will dance the peace halay together.”

That same day, another member of the DEM delegation, Kurdish politician Pervin Buldan, appeared on the pro-opposition Halk TV. She confirmed that she had spoken with Bahçeli by phone the day after Öcalan’s statement.

Buldan highlighted a contrast between this process and the failed peace talks of 2013-2015, emphasizing the importance of MHP’s current stance. Reflecting on Bahçeli’s previous hardline rhetoric, she remarked, “A man who once carried a noose and called for Öcalan’s execution is now supporting this process, saying, ‘I will do everything I can to ensure it succeeds.’ That is truly significant.”

“If Bahçeli transformed, everyone can transform,” she said.

Buldan, who served as HDP’s co-chair for three terms, was also a key figure in the previous peace talks a decade ago, along with Önder and Demirtaş, as part of the delegation that held meetings with Öcalan.

Meanwhile, Demirtaş, known for his outspoken presence in political discussions through social media posts published by his attorneys, had largely remained silent since announcing a break from active politics ahead of last year’s local elections. However, he broke his silence in a column published by Gazete Duvar on Feb 28.

“Erdoğan, Bahçeli, and Öcalan… May Allah grant them all long and healthy lives,” he wrote. “But at this stage in their lives, if these three leaders have taken the initiative for Middle Eastern peace and a historic Turkish-Kurdish reconciliation, I will do more than my share to support them.”

Following this article, Bahçeli reportedly called Demirtaş to thank him. It later emerged that this conversation did not take place from Demirtaş’s prison cell in Edirne—Turkey’s westernmost province, a location often viewed as symbolically distant from Kurdish-majority regions—but rather from a hospital in İstanbul. Authorities had granted Demirtaş permission to visit his wife, Başak Demirtaş, who was undergoing surgery.

In his interview with Habertürk, Önder shared a photo from this visit, underscoring the broader significance of the moment. Given that Turkish authorities frequently reject release requests for ill prisoners convicted on PKK-related charges, even in severe medical cases, Demirtaş’s temporary leave was widely interpreted as a political gesture.

DEM co-leader Bakırhan also spoke on Feb 28, saying that he received a phone call from Bahçeli following Öcalan’s statement. He quoted the MHP leader as saying, “Rest assured, we will democratize this country together. We will do whatever it takes for democracy.”

Of course, it is important to remember that these statements mark only the beginning of a long and complex process. Öcalan’s additional note, in which he stated that “the PKK’s disarmament would require democratic recognition and a legal framework,” also reflected this.

Despite not holding an official government position since serving as deputy prime minister in 2002, Bahçeli has played a decisive role at key turning points in Turkey’s political landscape since then. And now, he continues to lead the process that began with his handshake with Bakırhan on Oct 1 and his subsequent statements. What has driven the leader of Turkey’s most established nationalist party to take such an unexpected step? We will explore that question in tomorrow’s column. (VK)