Turkish people ended country’s history of coups on July 15, 2016: Parliament speaker

The Turkish people ended the country’s long history of military coups through their resistance to the defeated July 15, 2016 coup attempt, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said Wednesday.

Speaking at a ceremony in parliament marking Democracy and National Unity Day, Kurtulmuş said the night’s greatest legacy was “the victory of democracy” and “the national will.”

He said Türkiye had experienced a chain of coups dating back to the late Ottoman period and continuing throughout the country’s republican and multiparty political history.

“The nation put its stamp on the morning of July 15 and consigned the tradition of coups to the dustbin of history,” he said.

Kurtulmus said political leadership, parliament, the public, mosques and the media played central roles in defeating the coup attempt.

He recalled President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan‘s televised appeal urging citizens to take to the streets, saying the message encouraged millions to resist the putschists.

Kurtulmuş also praised lawmakers from across the political spectrum who gathered in parliament while the building was under attack, saying their presence demonstrated the strength of democracy and national unity.

He said the events showed that state institutions must not become the sphere of influence of any group and stressed the importance of transparency, strong institutions, the rule of law and national solidarity.

On July 15, 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces linked to the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) attempted to overthrow Türkiye’s elected government.

The plotters bombed parliament and other state institutions and opened fire on civilians, killing 253 people and wounding thousands.