23.07.2026 22:40
Journalist Barış Yarkadaş's post regarding former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's program in Polatlı sparked a controversy with Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş. While Yarkadaş claimed that Yavaş could not attend the program due to being out of town, Mansur Yavaş stated that no such meeting had been arranged with him, responding to the allegations by saying, "No such thing happened. Don't make things up."
The post made by journalist Barış Yarkadaş regarding Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's program in Polatlı drew a strong reaction from Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş. Yavaş denied the statements attributed to him, saying, "Such a thing did not happen. Don't make things up."
THEY CLASHED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
A new polemic broke out on social media between journalist Barış Yarkadaş and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş. The spark for the debate was ignited by Yarkadaş's post about the program where CHP General Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu met with agricultural workers in Polatlı.
YARKADAŞ'S NOTEWORTHY CLAIM
In a statement on his social media account, Barış Yarkadaş claimed that Mansur Yavaş could not attend Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's program in Polatlı because he was outside Ankara, and that this information was conveyed to him by Yavaş himself.
STRONG RESPONSE FROM MANSUR YAVAŞ
Responding to Yarkadaş's post, Mansur Yavaş categorically denied the claims. Stating that the statements attributed to him did not reflect the truth, Yavaş made the following statement on his social media account:
"Such a thing did not happen. Don't make things up. I am out of the province, I have no knowledge."
YARKADAŞ'S SECOND STATEMENT: I REVISED THE TWEET
After Mansur Yavaş denied the claims with the words, "Such a thing did not happen. Don't make things up. I am out of the province, I have no knowledge," Barış Yarkadaş made a new statement. Noting that he revised the part about Mansur Yavaş in his initial post, Yarkadaş stated that Yavaş confirmed he was out of the province, but that no conversation had taken place between them regarding attendance at the event.
Yarkadaş included the following statements in his post:
"I revised the Mansur Yavaş part in the tweet. Yavaş confirmed that he was 'out of the province,' but stated that no conversation had taken place 'regarding attending the event.'"
Then, making another post, Yarkadaş stated that he did not want to create a polemic and made the following statement:
"Dear Mayor; I will not address you in the same tone. I want to maintain my respect. Did you or did you not say 'I am in Muğla' to a CHP Deputy General Chairman who called you today? There may have been a lack of communication or a misunderstanding between you regarding attending the event. The CHP headquarters official who spoke with you may have expressed the matter incompletely. After all, you yourself state that you are out of the province. How could I know this information, for example? As I said, I do not want to enter into a polemic or prolong the issue."
THEY HAD FACED OFF BEFORE
Barış Yarkadaş and the Mansur Yavaş camp faced off for the second time recently. Last month, Yarkadaş claimed that a portrait of Mansur Yavaş was hung at the headquarters of the Anatolian Unity Party, while the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality side reacted to the claim, stating that the portrait in question had been in the same place for years. The statement used the words, "Please do not make Mansur Yavaş a material of such political conflicts."