13.06.2026 17:01
Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş also attended the "Justice for Goodness: Turkish Law Workshop" organized by the İYİ Party. After the speech of İYİ Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu, who made striking remarks at the workshop, the humorous dialogue between the two brought smiles to faces. When Yavaş said to Dervişoğlu, who saw him off to his car, "You've really made us feel old," it created amusing moments.
Good Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu attended the 'Justice for Good: Turkish Law Workshop' organized by his party. The workshop also featured Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş, members of parliament, representatives of political parties and civil society organizations, and academics.
The insistence on seeing off between Yavaş and Dervişoğlu after the event caused laughter.
AMUSING DIALOGUE The warm moments following the meeting between Good Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş were recorded by cameras. Dervişoğlu insisted on seeing Yavaş off to his official car, leading to a humorous exchange between the two.
"YOU MADE US FEEL REALLY OLD" Expressing slight embarrassment at being accompanied to his car, Mansur Yavaş turned to Dervişoğlu and said, "You made us feel really old." Dervişoğlu smiled at Yavaş's words and replied, "That's not the reason, it's about seniority, brother." The friendly chat between the two quickly drew attention.
DERVİŞOĞLU SPOKE AT THE EVENT Dervişoğlu stated that Turkey stands at perhaps one of the most critical crossroads of its legal history, saying, "On one side, constitutional balance and oversight mechanisms that have been gradually dismantled over decades; on the other, a massive reform agenda awaits us, ranging from artificial intelligence and digital rights to election security and judicial independence. It is at this very crossroads that, with this heavy responsibility history has placed on us, we invited you to this hall. It is absolutely impossible to accept the violation of the Constitution, the trampling of law, democracy, and the national will just to keep one person in place. Law cannot be a tool of the powerful. Law cannot be a veil of legitimacy and a shield for power. As the Good Party, while defending the cause of justice, liberty, and equality, we always emphasize this truth: that historical conflict between the authority of power and the freedom of the individual can only find peace in a fully-fledged rule of law state centered on human dignity."
"PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM IS OUR PRIORITY" Emphasizing that checks and balances are essential to eliminate the danger of abuse of power, Dervişoğlu said, "This absurd structure imposed on Turkey, called the 'Presidential Government System,' has concentrated executive, legislative, and judicial powers in a single hand, making corruption an integral part of the system itself. If today in Turkey there are decisions that cannot be dismissed by saying 'it's a judicial ruling,' decisions that remain a black stain on consciences, if these decisions are made based on proximity to or distance from political power, then a 'precautionary state' is at work. Turkey's unitary state structure is the red line and guarantee of territorial integrity and national unity. Debates on federalism or autonomy are a threat to our country. However, while defending the unitary structure, we reject handing over the power of Parliament to a single man. Transitioning to a parliamentary system where the executive is accountable to the legislature, where power cannot be indefinite, and which ensures pluralism and oversight, is the primary priority of our constitutional reform. In terms of rule of law revision and human rights, it must be said that human rights cannot remain on paper. While freedom of expression is constitutionally guaranteed, if journalists are prosecuted; while freedom of association exists, if trade unionists are detained; if mayors are arrested in dawn operations by being pressed by the neck, then there is no rule of law there."
"THE RESULT OF COMPETITION IS DETERMINED AT THE BALLOT BOX" Emphasizing that judicial independence is a right, Dervişoğlu said, "We will completely free the Board of Judges and Prosecutors from the political domination of the executive. We will provide judges on the bench with geographical security, prosecutors in the prosecution with merit, and lawyers in defense with full freedom to defend their clients without fear of prosecution. Similarly, we will solve the professional problems of our notaries, who are the gate of trust for law, and accelerate their integration into digital transformation. Technology has undergone incredible evolution. The impact of big data, algorithmic decision-making, and artificial intelligence on judicial processes, protection of personal data, and cybersecurity are now topics of today. The Good Party has the vision to bring Turkey to a digital rights framework at EU standards. We will definitely realize this. In democracies, the ballot box is sacred. The result of competition should be determined at the ballot box placed before the nation, not in courtrooms."
"THERE IS NO DEEP STATE, ONLY LAW EXISTS" Dervişoğlu stated that the 'Legal Vision Document,' to be shared with the public tomorrow, will be engraved in golden letters in Turkish democratic history as the legacy of this workshop. Dervişoğlu said, "We will put an end to the inequality where state resources are shamelessly used in favor of the ruling party, and we will clothe the independence of the Supreme Election Council in an institutional armor. We categorically reject the 'deep state' fallacy that poisons Turkish politics and legitimizes unaccountable secret power centers. Our philosophy is this: a state has no deep; it has law. Turkey stands today on the threshold of this reconstruction, this great restoration. The step we will take on this threshold will determine the political, economic, and social destiny of the next 10 years. And the cadres that will take that step are judges who have not rented out their conscience, prosecutors, fearless lawyers, journalists who have not sold their pens, meritorious academics, and the true representatives of the nation. The purpose of this workshop is not to engage in political strife but to produce Turkey's common wisdom. History will heed this hall today."