Türkiye declares state of emergency after failed coup

(Baonghean.vn) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the evening of July 20 (local time) declared a state of emergency for 3 months to allow the government to take quick and drastic measures with the aim of stabilizing the economy and politics in the country.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a National Security Council meeting on the night of July 20. Photo: Reuters.

Mr Erdogan declared a state of emergency after a nearly five-hour meeting with the National Security Council.

The state of emergency will come into effect after being published by the government in the Turkish Official Gazette, allowing the president and cabinet to pass new laws without going to parliament.

"The purpose of declaring a state of emergency is to quickly take effective measures in accordance with the Turkish Constitution to counter threats to democracy, the rule of law and citizens' freedoms," Erdogan said.

Mr Erdogan has also flatly rejected Western criticism that he has become a dictator who threatens Turkish democracy. Currently, about 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or are under investigation.

Before announcing the state of emergency, Mr. Erdogan said the purge had not stopped and suggested that there were foreign elements involved in the plot to overthrow him.

Mr. Erdogan is currently accusing American cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the failed coup on the night of July 15 that left more than 230 people dead and hundreds more injured./.

Thanh Hien

(According to Reuters)