Death penalty, NATO and the EU

There are new developments on the presidential system and the capital punishment topics after talks between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli. 

Upon Bahçeli's declaration that the MHP would support a bill reinstating the death penalty, the debate has changed direction. The view on reinstating capital punishment has strengthened. 

The death penalty was to be brought for Fethullah Gülen and the putschists, and also for Abdullah Öcalan and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists. The MHP has been precise on Öcalan since the beginning. It is known that Bahçeli holds Gülen and Öcalan, the coup attempt and PKK terror on the same level. 

However, Bahçeli warns and asks the government to consider the international dimension of reinstating the capital punishment. 

In the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), there are two separate evaluations on capital punishment. The first one is that July 15 is a process; both Gülen and Öcalan can face the death penalty within the scope of a continuous crime. The second one is that even if the death penalty is reinstated, it cannot be retroactive. 

Serious debates are ongoing. In the cabinet meeting headed by Erdoğan, this topic was brought up. The cabinet agrees with Erdoğan but there are also different evaluations. 

The thought was, "Even if the capital punishment is reinstated, Öcalan and Gülen would not be hanged because the penalty is non-retroactive. We would be reinstating the death penalty but we would not be able to execute. Our image would be smashed. NATO will expel us." 

Upon this, the president intervened, "How can they expel us from NATO? There is a death penalty in the U.S." Then,...