What was the Güneş Motel incident, which Ecevit said was “my biggest political mistake”?

The Güneş Motel Incident is one of the most memorable events in Turkish political history. So, what is the Güneş Motel event, which we have heard many times in the political history of our country? What happened in Güneş Motel in 1977? We look at the details together.

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What is Sun Motel?

Once a shining establishment in Florya, Istanbul, Güneş Motels (known among the public as Güneş Motel) is among the most popular tourist spots. In fact, Güneş Motel was a famous company that hosted many famous Turkish films in the second half of the 70s. The incident that took place here refers to a huge transfer event of deputies in Turkish politics in 1977. The significance of the “Güneş Motel” event for Turkish politics stems from the fact that the leader of the CHP Bulent Ecevit held a transition meeting with the deputies of the Justice Party (AP) in this hotel in order to form Government.

When did the Sun Motel accident happen?

Now let’s go back a little to the history of Turkish politics. The CHP won more than 41 percent of the vote in the 1977 elections. However, the 213 seats won by the party in parliament alone were not enough to take power. When the CHP was unable to form a government with 227 yes votes, it formed a joint government with Süleyman Demirel, the leader of the Justice Party, with the participation of the National Rescue Party and the MHP: II. National Front government. However, when the CHP won the local elections held on December 11, 1977, with Ecevit’s popularity growing, the scales in Parliament began to shift in favor of the CHP. However, the CHP did not have the majority to obtain a vote of confidence by forming a government on its own. The Sun Motel incident also made headlines at this time!

What happened?

The meetings that initially took place between Ecevit and 11 former MEPs took place on December 22 at the Bayramoglu Hotel in Darica. However, it was decided that the meetings would take place elsewhere, as the meetings were kept strictly confidential but were leaked to the press. The continuation of the talks was held at the Güneş motels in Vlorya, which belong to the municipality, under the organization of Istanbul CHP Mayor Aitkin Kotel.

MEPs took office in the forty-second Turkish government to be formed by Ecevit in return for supporting the question of no confidence submitted to Demirel’s fifth government and a vote of confidence for the new government to be formed by Bulent Ecevit. On the other hand, Ecevit’s creation of a cabinet with a transitional cadre led to great turmoil within the party, and the Güneş Motel incident, which Ecevit will say years later, was my biggest political mistake, which made his name written on the pages of history.

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