Özgür Özel announced his only request from Ekrem İmamoğlu in Konya.

03.05.2025 16:31

CHP leader Özgür Özel, at a rally he held in Konya, stated, "When Ekrem Başkan becomes President, there is a ministry I will request. That is the Ministry of Earthquake. The assistants of that ministry should come from all parties. Because there is no politics in earthquakes, and there is no joke about it."

After the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was sent to Marmara Prison in Silivri as part of the corruption investigation against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) conducted by the CHP, the fourth of the "Standing Up for the Will of the Nation" rallies initiated by İmamoğlu for his release and early elections was held in Konya. CHP Chairman Özgür Özel addressed the public at the rally.

"MY ONLY REQUEST FROM İMAMOĞLU IS THE MINISTRY OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT"

Özel stated, "When Ekrem President becomes the President, of course, we will all expect services from him, we will ask for many things. My only request, the ministry I will ask from Ekrem President, is the Ministry of Disaster Management. I want the assistants of that ministry to come from all parties. Because there is no politics in disasters, there is no joke. This is just an example," he said.

Highlights from Özgür Özel's speech are as follows:

"For years, we said, 'We got 7% of the votes in Konya, we got 9%, we got 11-12%.' We said, 'The nation appreciated it,' and we elected one member of parliament. The nation appreciated it; we never won a municipality, but we never blamed anyone else. We did not criticize the people of Konya. We knew that the problem, the fault, was within ourselves. We said, 'We will work harder, we will fight, we will understand, we will explain ourselves correctly.' When we added Akşehir next to the Tuzlukçu Municipality, which was one in Konya in the March 31 elections, when we added Seydişehir, when we added Ereğli one day, when we added Cihanbeyli, while taking a large district at each of Konya's four gates, we did not give an ounce of value to arrogance or fighting while gradually entering the hearts of Konya.

"IT WAS NOT APPROPRIATE TO CALL A CASE WE SAID 'LET'S NOT COMPLAIN' A 'LIE'"

Recently, someone said bad words to our vehicle that was touring for the rally, and they did something unreasonable by stepping in front of it. We received a call about this; our provincial chairman called. He said, 'Do not exaggerate it at all.' Many news came from there. I even said, 'Do not even complain.' But on the other hand, the mayor of this city, the Mayor who was entrusted by the people of Konya on March 31, held yesterday, 'The news is a lie, it is a fabrication of the CHP, there is no such thing,' he came to say. Then it turned out that two people, with a gun in hand, fired into the air and cursed, and did something unreasonable. If you ask me, if those people have no other faults or criminal records, I would like them to be released after we leave here. I do not want anyone to be bad. We are ready to extend a hand of friendship even to those who do evil, even to the worst. But it was not appropriate to call a case that we overlooked, that we did not announce, that we said 'let's not complain' a 'lie' about an elected mayor who hosts Mevlana's tomb and his family. I express this clearly from here.

"THERE CAN BE NO POLITICS THAT DOES NOT FACE GOOD AND BAD DAYS TOGETHER"

We were elected as the party chairman, and we did not receive a phone call. The new year came, the President called everyone, but he did not call us to ask how we were. I won the election; he did not congratulate me. But we were no longer the second party; we were now the ruling party. For this reason, as the Chairman of the Republican People's Party, I called all the leaders and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the first holiday. I called Mr. Erdoğan out of respect for the party's members, voters, and the position itself, we talked, and we made an appointment. I went to his office, invited him, and hosted him in our party.

To those who ask this, to those who ask, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'This is the normal.' They said, 'They are normalizing.' I said, 'Yes, we need to normalize.' There cannot be a government and opposition that do not shake hands at a martyr's funeral. There can be no politics that does not face good and bad days together. There cannot be party leaders who insult and curse each other. There is none in Konya… In Konya, an AK Party member rushes to the funeral of a CHP member, and a CHP member stands by the AK Party members in their good and bad days, next to their neighbor. Our approach has been widely discussed in Turkey, but it has found the most response in Konya and Kayseri. The continuation of this, the uninterrupted services, and the people seeing a government-opposition relationship that competes in service rather than fighting each other won the appreciation of the nation.

"I SAID 'COME BEFORE THE DISASTER STRIKES, LET'S JOIN HANDS'"

Unfortunately, the past time has brought about something. Last July, when the votes of the Republican People's Party exceeded in the local elections, when the votes called 'entrusted' became permanent, when the AK Party rolled down below 30%, they said: 'The nation appreciates not this normalization, this embrace, this fight; but the understanding of the opposition that thinks about service, that produces service instead of polemics, that makes suggestions when the time comes, saying, 'How can we do better?'

Yesterday, someone asked me, 'Oh CHP Chairman, what have you done for the earthquake?' I said, 'I am the leader of the main opposition. I have certainly instructed all municipalities for resilient cities for urban transformation. They are doing everything they need to do. But in my main meeting with Erdoğan, I said, 'Turkey is an earthquake country. A disaster awaits Istanbul. Appoint the best in the field as the Minister of Disaster Management, establish a ministry for disasters. Come back, ask for a deputy minister from us. Not just from us, but also from the MHP, the DEVA, the Saadet, and the parties with groups in the Parliament, and let’s discuss this issue not within politics but above it. Let’s unite our strengths and work together. The municipalities are with me, the general administration is with you. Come before the disaster strikes, let’s join hands,' I said. They took note of it, but they did not respond. In the next meeting, I asked, 'What happened to the Ministry of Disaster Management?' They did not even look back. But I say this, whether it is this November or next year… The ballot box will certainly come, and our nation will certainly appreciate it. Our President will choose Ekrem President.'

"MY JOB IS TO BRING OUT THOSE WHO WILL ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES"

Young people say, 'Take off your jacket, roll up your sleeves.' My job is to bring out those who will take off their jackets and roll up their sleeves; we will bring out Ekrem President. Ekrem President, do you hear me? Hundreds of thousands in Konya are shouting 'Ekrem President.' Then the time has come for this. Let’s repeat this, oh Erdoğan, let go of my candidate, bring the ballot box. My candidate is next to me, I want the ballot box in front of me. I want Ekrem President to be the President. Applause for Ekrem President. He is also applauding Konya from his cell.

"I WILL ASK EKREM PRESIDENT FOR THE MINISTRY OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT"

When Ekrem President becomes the President, of course, we will all expect services from him, we will ask for many things. My only request, the ministry I will ask from Ekrem President, is the Ministry of Disaster Management. I want the assistants of that ministry to come from all parties. Because there is no politics in disasters, there is no joke. This is just an example.

"PUBLISH THE COURT, LET THE NATION SEE WHAT IS A SLANDER AND WHAT IS REAL"

Now, things that did not happen back then are being repeated every day. There is coming home, there is taking away with the police, there is discrediting, there is detention trial, there is dealing with the family, the child, the spouse, the brother-in-law. There are lies and slanders every day from TRT, which stands on the taxes of all of us. Just a moment ago, we talked with our Mayor Mansur on the road. He is a lawyer.

Let us remind once again a truth that we all know. The preparatory investigation is confidential. Additionally, there is an extra confidentiality decision in this file. But if you go and open a TRT, A Haber, or CNN TÜRK, all kinds of lies and slanders are presented. Forget about the confidential part; a world of lies that are not in the file is being told as if they are true. I call out once again from here, we trust ourselves, our candidate, our president, and our friends. If you also trust your prosecutor, if you believe that he is really conducting a trial, and if you claim that the allegations are not slander but true, then I challenge you. Broadcast the court from TRT, let the people see what is slander and what is real.

"MARCH 19 IS A COUP AGAINST THE MAYOR"

When that AK Party politician became a prosecutor, and they said 'let's go' and sent him to war with President Ekrem like the raiders, the March 19 coup came. March 19 is a coup against the Mayor who was elected a year ago to serve Istanbul's 16 million people, and it is also an attempt to coup against our presidential candidate, who was shown by 15.5 million citizens, who ran to the polls with their canes or with their babies in their bellies, with the votes of 15.5 million citizens on March 23, if our nation deems it appropriate, to be our next President. Coups do not always come from the military; sometimes they come from civilians like this. A coup does not always come in camouflage; sometimes it comes in a prosecutor's robe like this. Every coup has a headquarters. Today's coup headquarters is Beştepe, the palace. Every coup has its weapons. Unfortunately, the weapon of this coup is lies and slander. Every bullet fired by a weapon wounds. But this injustice, this betrayal done by the state television will not be forgotten. Even if we are wounded and feel pain, one day we will hold accountable those who manage TRT. However, of course, in front of the law, through a fair trial.