NEW Party Chairman Özgür Özel, in his statements before the opening of the new legislative year of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, made evaluations regarding party changes in municipal councils in Istanbul, municipal operations in Mersin and the "fund" investigation.
Özel criticized the AKP over the Üsküdar Deputy Mayor election and the party changes in the Ataşehir Municipal Council, and claimed that it was aimed to change the balance in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Council.
AKP's candidate Dündar Ziya Gültekin won the deputy chairman election in Üsküdar, which was renewed and CHP council members switched to AKP.
“FIRST, RENEW THE ELECTION OF THE DEPUTY MAYOR AND 5 TRANSFERS IN ONE DAY”
Özel said the following about the process taking place in Üsküdar:
"We all watched what happened in Üsküdar. They were caught red-handed in Üsküdar. First, they made an operation, then they made some people they had persuaded with threats, blackmail or money to vote, or some people they had persuaded to bring their children from abroad.
This time, the people of Istanbul said: "Wow, first we re-elected the deputy mayor and 5 transfers in one day."
The first vice presidential election in Üsküdar, which Özel mentioned, was renewed after the court decision; In the new election, AKP's candidate Gültekin received 23 votes and CHP's candidate Sibel Tan Çetinkaya received 19 votes.
IMM ASSEMBLY EXIT FROM ATAŞEHİR
Touching on the developments in Ataşehir, Özel continued his speech as follows:
"Now look at Ataşehir. They are making 6 people change sides through various methods. The situation is now reaching 18-18 and our Ataşehir Deputy Mayor... Look, I am already reporting it. He was elected just a month ago, what could happen? There is a secret witness; they are trying to have a new election there through threats of "Either you resign or we will put you in prison."
It was revealed to the public that six members of the CHP in the Ataşehir Municipal Council joined the AKP, and one of them, Oğuz Sarul, is also a member of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Council.
“CHANGING THE EQUATION IN IMM...”
Özel claimed that what happened was related to the political balance in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Assembly and continued as follows:
"What is the purpose? Every deputy mayor here serves in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. When a deputy mayor is elected from the AK Party, not from his current party, delete it from here and write it down there. With the people they operated with and recruited to their party, they changed the equation in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and won Istanbul, which the nation did not vote for for three elections..."
“IS THIS HOW YOU WILL WIN ISTANBUL?”
Özel addressed President Erdoğan and said the following:
“The first time they objected to the certificate of election, with a difference of millions... When they could not digest the difference of 13 thousand, 806 thousand, and when they could not digest it, by 1 million 150 thousand, they did not give Istanbul to them, but now they are trying to take Istanbul.
Let's ask Tayyip Bey from here: "Whoever loses Istanbul loses Türkiye, whoever wins Istanbul wins Türkiye"; Is this how you will win Istanbul? This is how you made Istanbul; It was a difference of 13 thousand, 800 thousand people after 45 days... Haji uncles and Haji aunts said "The right has passed" and slapped you with democracy, but now if you try to take over the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality with what you have done, will you be taking over Istanbul, or will you open a new wound in the minds and hearts of the people of Istanbul and Türkiye and enter into a political trap after being held accountable for this in the first election? It's that obvious!”
“THEIR VEINS ARE CRACKED, THEY HAVE NO SHAME"
Özel also made the following statements regarding mayors and council members changing parties:
"He boasts of pinning badges on deputies one by one and telling mayors on live television in front of everyone, 'If you are going to come, come to us, we are available'. Their veins are broken, they have no shame anymore. He was saying, 'If you are elected from a party, if you resign from that party, resign from your position as well.' Look at the situation he is in right now."
REACTION TO MERSİN OPERATION: “WE ARE BEHIND THE ELECTED PEOPLE”
Özel also reacted to the operations against municipalities in Mersin:
"I would like to draw attention to another issue regarding this issue; it is about the Mersin operations. We stand behind the elected officials. It is clear how the mayors will be tried and questioned.
Inspector report, ministry permission, interrogation, investigation if necessary, lawsuit... We all know that appointing a mayor directly at six in the morning by a prosecutor is a political operation.
He said to everyone who entered the tender in the municipality, 'I will destroy your assets. Did it happen like this, did it happen like that, I wonder?' It is political to carry out an operation there. Even if this person is a member of the İYİ Party, he is political, even if he is a member of the CHP, he is political, even if he is a member of the DEM Party, he is political, even if he is a member of the İYİ Party, he is political. We stand firmly against political operations without discrimination.”
“THIS IS OUR REBELLION”
Özel criticized "hypocrisy" over the reactions to the Mersin operation and said:
“We are clearly faced with hypocrisy. When our friends, politicians close to us, our companions were subjected to an operation, those who said 'Purification, purification'; When there are close friends with us, those who say 'These cases are not political, these cases are judicial processes, so they should go, be purified and be held accountable'; When the same thing is done to a mayor who said 'I will stay in the party', their appointment of a committee and their reaction to this are the height of hypocrisy. This is our rebellion.
This is what separates us from others, differentiates us, makes the new party new, and leaves them obsolete and with the old mentality. "If it is from you that the AK Party is operating, own it; if it is not from you, adopt the same words as the AK Party, say 'Purification'."
“I EXPOSE THIS HYPOCRISY IN FRONT OF OUR NATION”
He continued his special words as follows:
“For the sake of your friends' honor, they have families and children, leave them alone, say 'They will be purified, they will come', then when there are people you have your eye on who are a little inclined towards you, this time switch to defensive language.
I expose this hypocrisy before our nation and condemn it before history.
We have always been silent until now. It's like they always kept it. Then we saw, when it comes to Etimesgut, go and visit him in prison. Send congratulatory tweets when there is another issue. If your friend plans to stay in the CHP when he gets out of prison, we did not ask anyone to come to the NEW Party from the mayors.
But I was so burdened by history... This is how I look at the faces of young newlyweds and those with little children. I look at the faces of the children, spouses, mothers and fathers of my friends who were branded as thieves just because 'AK Party's march to power is being interrupted, a new party will come to power in its place, the government will change'.
They came out of there and said, 'The indictments are not political, the indictments are legal', but when it comes to this, they switch sides. I complain about this shame to our nation before history.
This is not an acceptable attitude. Today they have been caught red-handed and are behaving in a shameful manner. Their past attitude is shameful, today's attitude is the attitude we adopt everywhere. But it is untenable to describe the victim or the attacked person as a thief or innocent, depending on their political stance within the party. “It is the height of hypocrisy.”
CALL TO ERDOĞAN OVER FUND INVESTIGATION
Özel also made harsh reactions regarding the "fund" investigation.
Özel said that the people mentioned in the investigation were in their duties upon Erdoğan's appointment and argued that Erdoğan was negligent.
Özel also pointed out that the injunction against Hayati Yazıcı's son was lifted in a short time and claimed that this was an indication that the investigation was political. Özel stated that the grievances must be resolved and that they will participate in a commission to be established in the Parliament, but that they will establish an "investigation commission, not a research commission" in their own power.
