Nationalist party accuses ruling AKP of stealing election song

Elections songs are not only popular gimmicks used by political parties during campaigns, but those parties are also apparently very possessive about their tunes.

With the general elections approaching, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has kicked off a debate by accusing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of stealing a song they used back in 1999.

The song, based on a traditional folk tune, called for MHP supporters to run "in the path" of the party's leader Devlet Bahçeli. Now, the lyrics of the song adapted by once popular band Ayna, played for the first time during the AKP's local Congress in Konya this week-end, which was boosted by the participation of Hamas' political leader Khaled Meshaal, praise Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu as the "grandson of Ottomans."

"They are speaking of a new Turkey and then they try to sell MHP's old election song to our nation saying that it is new," MHP parliamentary deputy chair Oktay Vural said to reporters Dec. 29.

"If they use the election song that was adopted by another party during a previous election and still speak of a new Turkey, it means that they have nothing more to offer," Vural said.

The song was propitious for the MHP, which saw the best election results in its history, finishing second with 18 percent of the vote following the 1999 general election campaign. It remains to seen if Davutoğlu can surf on the same wave, in a narrow and favorable political environment for the AKP, with the 10 percent threshold allowing very few minor parties to emerge from the lot despite discontent.