Istanbul (dpa) - Turkey‘s two largest opposition parties warned of potential abuses of power following the declaration of a state of emergency as parliament met Thursday to review the decision.Turkey has entered its first full day under a state of emergency, announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and set to last for three months after the bloody coup attempt over the weekend.Shops largely opened as normal and people commuted to work by public transport without problems, though the lira‘s value has been falling rapidly in the wake of the failed putsch and subsequent purges of state institutions, affecting tens of thousands of employees.Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus also announced that Turkey was temporarily suspending certain guarantees made in the European Convention on Human Rights, adding that the move was similar to what France did after recent terrorist attacks.Kurtulmus and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag have both said the state of emergency could end up lasting only six weeks."Our goal is to make the state of emergency as short as possible," Kurtulmus said, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.Government officials have stressed that the measure is aimed only at followers of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed for the failed coup that left 264 people dead and more than 1,500 injured.Gulen, who was born in Turkey and has lived in the United State since 1999, has denied any involvement in Friday‘s attempted coup. The US says it has yet to receive enough evidence to weigh an extradition.Ankara has long accused the cleric of running a "parallel structure" in Turkey.Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek insisted the state of emergency would not curtail basic freedoms, including restrictions on movement, gatherings and free press. He pledged financial discipline would be maintained and that liquidity would not be a problem for markets.The government has rounded up or dismissed more than 50,000 civil servants, teachers, lawyers and soldiers. The Ministry of Education alone has dismissed more than 20,000 employees and revoked the licenses of 21,000 teachers in private schools.More than 9,000 people have been detained and 1,661 are formally under arrest, according to the Dogan news agency.Government supporters have called for the death penalty for coup plotters. Parliament would first have to pass a measure to reinstate capital punishment, banned in 2004, and Erdogan said he would sign it if it came to his desk.Bringing back the death penalty could spell the end of Turkey‘s bid to join the European Union, with allies in the West urging the government to act with restraint as it deals with the coup‘s fallout.Government supporters have flocked to squares and main high streets across the country since Friday to celebrate the victory of the civilian government over the coup, which appears to have been largely carried out by a group within the army.The government has repeatedly thanked citizens for risking their lives during the hectic hours of the coup attempt and taking to the streets in what turned out to be successful actions preventing the coup plotters from being able to carry out their plans.However, the scale of the purges and the government‘s past record on stifling opposition has caused concern among some segments of the population. Some social media users, for example, said they have deactivated their accounts, fearing a clampdown.The pro-Kurdish Peoples‘ Democratic Party (HDP) said in a statement: "The coup attempt of July 15 turned into an opportunity and tool to liquidate those who oppose the government and to restrict the democratic rights and freedoms even further."The party also cautioned against a "one-man" rule by Erdogan, who is accused of becoming increasingly authoritarian and seeking more powers since he first became prime minister in 2003."Society was obliged to choose between a coup or a non-democratic regime. We definitely reject these choices," the HDP said.Ozgur Ozel, the party whip of the centre-left People‘s Republican Party, the largest opposition party, told CNN Turk: "This is dishonesty, ingratitude and a civilian coup against the parliament."He was speaking ahead of the planned session of parliament - dominated by Erdogan‘s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) - to approve the emergency law. It is expected to pass.
