Hurriyet - The Turkish government has decided to extend a state of emergency for another
three months upon the recommendation of the National Security Board (MGK), a day
after a key referendum overhauling Turkey’s governance system was narrowly
approved.
"The state of emergency is not an issue of fantasy for Turkey
or a measure to ease the hands of the government,” Numan Kurtulmuş, a spokesman
for the government and deputy prime minister, told reporters after a cabinet
meeting late on April 17. Kurtulmuş said the cabinet approved the advice of the
MGK for the extension of the state of emergency and that parliament was expected
to vote on it on April 18.
Turkey declared a state of emergency on July
20, 2016, in an ostensible bid to fight against the Fethullahist Terror
Organization (FETÖ), which has been blamed for the coup.
Both the
cabinet and the MGK convened at the Presidential Complex under the chairmanship
of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
"A very tough struggle is being
carried out against all terror organizations,” Kurtulmuş said.
"This is
not just a matter of the government. This is about the security of Turkey, a
matter of survival.”
Parliament will vote on the governmental demand for
the extension of the state of emergency late on April 18.