State of Emergency in Turkey Ends

The state of emergency in Turkey, which was imposed following the failed coup in the country, ended on Thursday, July 19. Reuters reports that following the failed coup in 2016 and during the crackdown on dissenters over the past two years, 150,000 civil servants were dismissed and 77,000 people were accused of connections with the coup plotters. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised before last month's presidential elections that the state of emergency would end, but he specified that new anti-terrorism laws would be enacted. The Turkish government had extended the state of emergency every three months since 2016. According to Reuters, Erdoğan's opponents believe that despite the end of the three-month state of emergency on Thursday morning and the government's decision not to extend it, there will not be significant changes in the country's political situation. Ayhan Bilgen, spokesperson for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), stated that although the government is trying to introduce new bills with the end of the state of emergency, the reality is that the state of emergency has become permanent in the country. The Turkish parliament is set to review a counter-terrorism bill on Thursday. Following the failed coup, changes were made to Turkey's political structure that increased the president's power. In April 2017, a referendum was held to change Turkey's constitution. With the removal of the prime minister's position in the new political structure, Erdoğan gained extensive powers that none of his predecessors had. The prime minister's office was abolished on June 24 of this year. Since the summer of 2016, when the failed coup left nearly 250 dead, thousands have been arrested and imprisoned in the country, many others have lost their jobs, and hundreds are still awaiting their trials. Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric residing in the United States, is accused of leading the failed coup. However, Gülen has stated that he has no connection to the event and instead holds Erdoğan responsible for the coup.