20.03.2025 05:06
The leader of the CHP, Özgür Özel, visited the family of İBB President Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been taken into custody. Özel recounted a dialogue he had with İmamoğlu 10 days ago, stating, "We had woken up to another bad day like this. I sent a 'good morning' message to President Ekrem, and he replied to me. He said, 'President, no matter where I am on the 23rd, that ballot box must be set up.'"
```html
CHP General Chairman Özgür Özel visited the family of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the Turkish Union of Municipalities. Özel, who met with İmamoğlu's wife Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, his eldest son Selim İmamoğlu, and his daughter Beren İmamoğlu, stated, "As of last night, they officially suspended the constitution by saying the diploma has been canceled. No one has any guarantees. So, whether you have a diploma, a title deed, or a bank account, none of them have any validity anymore. Today is also a direct coup attempt. In the past, coups were carried out in a very classic way. Then there were memorandums, or post-modern coups... Now, they are making a preventive coup towards the future. They are attempting a coup against the future president so that the people do not determine this government. Since when has a decision for early elections or pre-elections been made; as we speed up, they speed up, as we speed up, they speed up," he said.
HE DESCRIBED THE MESSAGES EXCHANGED WITH İMAMOĞLU 10 DAYS AGO Özel, stating, "We, along with all our friends, have been preparing for a pre-election with President Ekrem for a month, while also preparing for the worst," said, "Ten days ago, I sent a 'good morning' message to President Ekrem - we woke up to such a bad day again. He also sent me a message. He said, 'Mr. President, wherever I am on the 23rd, that ballot box must be set up.' Even though he felt there was no guarantee of where he would be on the 23rd, he expressed his faith in this matter. We will invite both Republican People's Party members and everyone to support President Ekrem on Sunday and to the voting centers. We will invite all our party members to both vote and to stand together with the Republican People's Party and President Ekrem, that is, the party entrusted by the founder of the Republic of Turkey and the Republic itself, to support President Ekrem and to support the presidency. All our members will lead and accompany everyone who wants to come to the voting places. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with President Ekrem," he expressed.
“WE HAVE NO OTHER GUARANTEE THAN THE PEOPLE'S SUPPORT” Özel, stating, "We have no other guarantee than the people's support," said; "Because the state's prosecutor, judge, police, and governor do not support President Ekrem. The state has changed hands. The state is currently sending these people, the nation, to the army when it calls them, they pay their taxes, they sacrifice their sons and children, they sacrifice their spouses, but they do not surrender to anything; they do not give their ballot box to anyone. If the state stands against the people, the people will win. In fact, on March 31, governors, district governors, the entire state, all ministers, everyone was against us; President Ekrem won this. Now, if they are going to compete with the people again, it may be a bit more difficult, but in the end, the people will win, and what the people say will happen. In the end, what Kenan Evren said did not happen. What Fethullah Gülen said on July 15 did not happen. On July 15, both I and President Ekrem were on the side of democracy. We did not hope for this coup. We did not say, 'Let these go, and we will come.' We said, 'If the people bring it, they will bring it.' The people will support the president."
“NO ONE RECOGNIZES THE NATIONAL WILL RIGHT NOW” Özel, expressing, "I am also sorry from Tayyip Bey's perspective," said, "He was removed from the IBB presidency. At that time, we did not find that right either. We said, 'It cannot be done with just reading a poem.' Then the Republican People's Party opened a political path for him with a constitutional amendment at that time. In other words, it opened the way for the prime ministry. He was the chairman of his party. Then he came to the positions he reached through elections, always saying 'national will.' Apparently, this national will is honored when he is given votes, but when it comes to President Ekrem, it is overthrown. Right now, no one recognizes the national will. The people placed President Ekrem at the head of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to remove him. This cannot be accepted. Sooner or later, I hope they will see this reaction from the people and take a step back. But sooner or later, what the people say will happen," he stated.
DİLEK İMAMOĞLU: WE WILL FIGHT FOR EKREM TOGETHER WITH THE PEOPLE After Özel, Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu stated the following; "My Chairman; we will stand strong, we will support him. Because we know that this is not a personal matter. This has now become a matter that belongs to the country and society. You also know that whoever has been wronged, everyone has supported Ekrem's struggle. Now, we will fight for Ekrem together with the people. We will not give up, of course, we will not surrender. No matter how big the operation is, this will not stop us. And we all know that this great operation is nothing but a political purpose. Otherwise, it would not be like this. Yesterday, the diploma was canceled, and this morning there was such an operation... It is clear that it is a political operation. It is an operation to eliminate, exclude, and finish the future president who will govern this country. This is a great coup against the country. We will fight. We must fight. Because none of our lives and property will be safe in this country anymore. This is not just about you or me. It is a matter that concerns all of us."
```