Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairperson Devlet Bahçeli ended longstanding rumors over shifting allegiances in Turkish politics and reiterated their loyalty to the People’s Alliance formed with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

"I repeat it here, with pure faith, the People’s Alliance is the essence of the soul of the Turkish nation and will continue on its path with determination," he told his party’s lawmakers in his weekly speech at Parliament on Tuesday.

Bahçeli also lashed out at Özgür Özel, head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and said he "lost his mind" for offering an alliance with his party.

Following the March 31 local elections, in which the AK Party lost several strongholds, the CHP and the AK Party launched what is informally called a "normalization" process. Rumors have been swirling since then that the process may alienate the MHP while Bahçeli himself has pledged allegiance to the People’s Alliance, although he acknowledged that some people within the AK Party may be displeased with the MHP’s policies. In a statement earlier this month, Bahçeli even signaled that a larger alliance could be established with smaller opposition parties that united against the AK Party in the 2023 general elections.

In his speech on Tuesday, Bahçeli hit out at the opponents of the People’s Alliance and Türkiye in general, "who resorted to psychological warfare" against them. He said a vile campaign was underway to undermine Türkiye’s peace and stability by "hypocritical democrats, dubious revolutionaries, lying freedom lovers, corrupt elite, politicians favoring crises, dark forces, puppets of foreign powers."

"The advantage of democracy is balancing different perspectives through mutual interaction. We can say that the true strength of democracy lies in the effort to deliberate on various perspectives and the disagreements between them. However, the hypocrisy among the apostles of a made-up democracy is rampant," he said.

"Their sole aim, in addition to weakening our internal front and stooping to the lowest depths of immorality to accompany and guide regional and global treacherous scenarios, is to see the MHP stumble, the dissolution of the People's Alliance, and Türkiye being cornered into giving up its historical and sovereign rights in a devastating manner. These will certainly face defeat and disappointment. The vile game is quite clear, and its corrupt players are circling around us like crazy. Nevertheless, with patience, perseverance, fortitude and strong will, we are rejecting entirely the swamp they want to drag and pull us into, focusing on the urgent and real agenda of our nation, and occupying our minds with these matters," he said.

CHP officials often hit out at the MHP for acting as an "accomplice" in what they define as "wrongdoings" of the government. The murder of a prominent association affiliated with MHP played into the hands of CHP and other parties opposing the People’s Alliance. The CHP repeatedly implied that MHP officials were involved in the murder of Sinan Ateş, who was replaced as the Idealists’ Club's head after falling out with the party in the past.

Last week, CHP leader Özgür Özel claimed Izzet Ulvi Yönter and Semih Yalçın, two of Bahçeli’s aides, were involved in a cover-up of the murder. "These are my valuable friends and respectable members of our party," Bahçeli said in his speech, responding to Özel’s remarks.

He stated that the CHP has been "sick" for a long time, has failed to "find inner stability," and lacks its own "political mind and will." "It is a loss for Turkish democracy to be unable to find a cure for the sickness of the CHP. Özgür Özel is apparently assigned to mess with the MHP. This person seeks to accuse our party in every issue and target our comrades. He violated political morals. The CHP’s sinister political design under the guise of ‘normalization’ is nothing but an abnormality. It is the loss of mind to invite us to the ruins of their alliance," he said. "What the CHP understands from normalization is normalizing the PKK, normalizing separatism," he added, referring to the opposition party’s close ties with a smaller party linked to the said terrorist group.

Özel suggested forming a "Türkiye Alliance" that will include the MHP and urged the party to join their alliance based on "patriotic and common values."