28.02.2026 11:23
Recently appointed Deputy Minister of Interior Bülent Turan made striking warnings regarding nepotism within the party. Turan stated, "A man is the provincial chairman, his brother is the provincial director; it shouldn't be like that. A man is a member of parliament, his nephew is some representative; it shouldn't be like that. People are angry about this," and added, "Let's not disrupt or exhaust a structure, an organization that we have built with our own efforts. Let's not tire Erdoğan for the sake of one person's ego."
The Deputy Minister of Interior, Bülent Turan, who attended the "Istanbul with Every Neighborhood, Every Story" program organized by the AK Party Istanbul Provincial Presidency, criticized the use of positions for personal and family interests in his speech. Turan stated that he told his uncle, who was a muhtar during his candidacy for parliament in Çanakkale, to resign, saying, "'An uncle of a deputy cannot be a muhtar in a province.' He listened to me and resigned from the muhtar position," he expressed.
"LET'S NOT WEARY ERDOĞAN FOR ONE MAN'S SELF"
Turan, who said, "A man is the provincial chairman, his brother is the provincial director; it cannot be. A man is a deputy, his nephew is some representative; it cannot be. People are angry about this," stated, "Let's not disturb or weary the structure we have built with our nails for one man's self. Let's not weary Erdoğan for one man's self," he said.
"WORKING IN PUBLIC AND TAKING A ROLE IN THE PARTY..."
Speaking about those who request positions both in public and in party ranks, Turan said, "Is there a principle in our values that allows working in public and taking a role in the party? Let's not upset our party for our personal issues," he added.
"THE SOLUTION IS CLEAR: THE SPIRIT OF 2002"
At the end of his speech, Turan emphasized the "spirit of 2002" and said: "The solution is clear: the spirit of 2002. The attire we will wear, the attitude we will adopt is the 2002 attitude. Erdoğan is still at the heart of Anatolia. Erdoğan is right in the middle of our issue. Gather yourselves, we are not going anywhere. If the wind blows hard, let the willow tree worry; nothing will happen to the plane tree."
SUPPORT CAME FROM ŞAMİL TAYYAR
These words, which were enthusiastically applauded by those in the hall, also received support from former AK Party deputy Şamil Tayyar. In a post on his social media account, Tayyar stated, "The sincere criticism of our Deputy Minister of Interior, Bülent Turan, received considerable attention both in the meeting hall and in the public, exciting the base. It seems there is a need. If even a light touch on the unbearable weight of alienation from the founding values of a colleague in office creates a wave of excitement, we need to listen to this voice. But let me add a small note. If the issues raised were individual, transformation would be easy. Unfortunately, these have institutionalized and become widespread. We have alienated ourselves from the society we transformed, and we have diminished the authority of politics. Antibiotic treatment is no longer sufficient; we must cut deeper. Still, the voice of those who care about the people's troubles is valuable... May God increase their numbers," he expressed.