Turkish Presidential Office: Erdogan Did Not Praise Hitler's Regime

The Turkish Presidential Office announced on Friday, January 1, that the statements made by Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding the German government system during Adolf Hitler's rule were misinterpreted, and that Erdogan did not intend to imply that the government system under the former German dictator was effective. According to Reuters, Erdogan, the President of Turkey, stated on Thursday during his return from Saudi Arabia, in response to a question about the possibility of maintaining internal cohesion and integrity under a presidential system, that 'there have been examples in the world. You can look at the era of Hitler's rule in Germany as an example.' According to the report based on a recording of the interview, the Turkish President added, 'There are newer examples of this type of government in other countries.' Turkey's government system is parliamentary, and the President has a ceremonial role. In recent years, Erdogan has stated that he will seek to change Turkey's constitution to transform the country's government system into a presidential system similar to those in the USA, France, and Russia. Erdogan's remarks about the government system during Hitler's chancellorship in Germany have sparked widespread reactions. The Turkish Presidential Office stated that 'the German metaphor during the chancellorship has been distorted by some news sources and used in a completely contrary direction to Erdogan's opinion.' The statement added that Erdogan raised this example to indicate that a presidential system can exist in a single country and is not related to a federal government system, and that neither parliamentary nor presidential systems can prevent the abuse of power. The Turkish Presidential Office emphasized that if power is abused in any system, it leads to inefficiency in management and ultimately results in a disaster like the rise of Hitler. However, the important point is the need for proper management to serve the nation. One of the main programs of Erdogan's party, the 'Justice and Development Party' in Turkey, is to change the country's constitution to increase its powers and shift from a parliamentary to a presidential system.