04.11.2026 17:51
CHP Spokesperson Müslim Sarı called on the YENİ Party regarding the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). Reminding that council members elected under the urban consensus had decided to return to the DEM Party, Sarı said, "We especially do not want to be a party to polarization in Istanbul. We want to stay together, be together, and stand shoulder to shoulder in the İBB against the AKP. Because in the İBB, the difference between the number of municipal council members from the People's Alliance and the opposition members has decreased considerably."
CHP Spokesperson Müslim Sarı held a press conference after his party's Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting. Sarı, who conveyed the assessments on the economy at the MYK meeting, said that the inflation rates targeted by the government were not realistic.
CHP SPOKESPERSON: PENSIONS AND THE MINIMUM WAGE SHOULD BE RAISED BY 70 PERCENT
Emphasizing that the minimum wage and the lowest pension remain below the hunger threshold, Sarı stated that the 2027 budget does not meet the raise expectation and used the following statements: "We must say as a very clear picture that a monthly salary below 40 thousand lira will keep that person below the hunger threshold. The hunger threshold, which has reached 38 thousand lira, will be 40 thousand lira in 2 months. In 2 months, on January 1, when you raise pensions, this raise must be at least at the level of 70 percent. Our proposal as CHP is for the lowest pension, which is 23 thousand lira, to be raised by 70 percent, to be increased to at least 40 thousand lira, and for no one to be left below the hunger threshold. In parallel, other pensions should also be increased, by at least 70 percent. And the minimum wage should also be increased in parallel with this.
That is, the minimum wage should be at least 30 percent above the lowest pension. Our proposal is for this to be at the level of 50-52 thousand lira. Unless these are realized, unless these are given, it is not possible to protect broad masses, broad social segments, workers, civil servants, and pensioners against these inflation rates. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz says that in 2027 he will make pension increases far, far above budget possibilities, far, far above inflation, and far, far above expected inflation. We also said this last week: When we look at budget possibilities, when we look at the increase rates in 2027 budget expenditures, there is no possibility for this to be 10 points above the target inflation.
That is, the raise a pensioner will receive on January 1, the raise they will receive throughout the year, will not exceed 40 percent within existing budget possibilities. You cannot say, 'Target inflation is 21 percent, I am giving pensioners 40 percent, oh how nice, I am increasing their income in real terms.' Because even the 40 percent raise you have made will keep broad pensioner segments below the hunger threshold. The raise amount that will take them above the hunger threshold, that will save them from below it, is 70 percent. The lowest pension must be at least 40 thousand lira on January 1. And in June this will be increased again. Therefore, let no one deceive anyone, let no one deceive pensioners, let no one deceive minimum-wage workers. These budget possibilities show a choice; every budget is a choice for a government. In this budget, too, the government is actually protecting not pensioners and low-income people, but the interest-rate gang. "
FUND CRISIS
Sarı, also speaking about the fund crisis, stated that the fund crisis has 3 legs and said, "What are these legs? One; manipulators, that is, prosecutions, penal provisions, and criminal processes directed at manipulators. Two; corporate responsibility, that is, the responsibility of companies, of the sciences—rather, of institutions—that are supposed to conduct audits. Three; political responsibility, the political leg of this matter. These 3 legs are legs that must be pursued simultaneously. As long as these are not done, this matter is left incomplete. We also said that this matter has 2 fundamental grounds: While these funds are being liquidated, public resources will not be used. This will be considered within the scope of organized crimes. Now, these are our red lines as the Republican People's Party," he said.
"LAME DUCK" COMPARISON FOR TRUMP
Stating that with the US elections Donald Trump has fallen into a "lame duck" situation, Sarı said, "It appears that Trump has fallen into a 'lame duck' situation. If we consider that for at least 6 years, one-third of the congressional and Senate elections in America, of the House of Representatives elections, will be renewed every 2 years, the resulting weight shows us that for at least 6 years the Democrats will form a serious weight in both chambers of this parliament. Therefore, it also gives a clue regarding the presidential elections that are due to be held in 2028. It also tells us that Trump will not be able to govern America in the last 2 years with the ease he has had until today," he said.
RESPONSE TO CLAIMS OF COOPERATION WITH THE PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE: IT HAS NO MATERIAL BASIS
Speaking about the acting mayor elections held after the arrest of the Çukurova and Milas mayors, Sarı responded to criticisms that the People's Alliance and CHP had formed an alliance, saying, "Some speculations were made about this: 'You made an alliance with the People's Alliance, you cooperated.' No such thing is in question. We did not cooperate or form an alliance with anyone. We put forward our candidate, we did not negotiate with anyone. They voted for our candidate or they did not. In the end, the NEW Party had 14 municipal council members and received 17 votes. So it must have received 3 votes from the People's Alliance as well. We had 13 municipal council members and received 19 votes. So we must have received 6 votes from the People's Alliance. In other words, the statement that 'the People's Alliance as a bloc supported the Republican People's Party candidate, and you cooperated here' is absolutely a wrong statement. It has no material equivalent, no material basis," he said.
"IF WE CANNOT HOLD A CONVENTION, LET'S START HOLDING CONGRESSES"
The way out of this is to hold a convention. But if we cannot hold a convention, let's start holding congresses. Therefore we said, 'we will announce a congress calendar in September.' From the very beginning, since June, we have said this. They said: 'Why are you announcing it in September? Why don't you announce it now?' We cannot announce it now, because our provincial and district administrators tell us, 'You are null and void, we do not recognize you.'
Now, when my provincial administrator and district administrator, my provincial chair and district chair do not recognize me, how will I manage the ordinary congress calendar with the election board? At that point, we necessarily had to make preparations to bring the party into ordinary congress processes, and we completed those preparations during the summer months. As you all know, arrangements were made in seventy-four of our provinces. These processes were completed, and as we promised at the beginning, we announced a congress calendar in September.
In the congress calendar, memberships were to be posted for inspection at the end of October, that is, on the 28th, and we were to complete our congresses by February 14 at the latest. Now, so that a legal dispute does not arise—different jurists think differently about this precautionary measure—as you know, some things happened regarding the withdrawal. However, since no statement has yet been made by the relevant judicial units, in order not to cause a debate, we postponed the starting process by 15 days.
But on February 14 we are again finishing our congresses. Özgür Özel was saying, 'We have 90 percent public support behind us.' We were also saying that day: 'If you have 90 percent public support behind you, do not leave and go away from the party. Do not divide the party. Come and stay, we are holding our congresses. Let us compete in our congresses. You would win again'. So, if you have this much public support, you would win again.
After all, those who will vote in the Republican People's Party congresses are the members of the Republican People's Party. You probably also have 90 percent support among Republican People's Party members. That is, if you have 90 percent support in the public assembly, if the people are behind you, then the members are probably behind you as well. So what is the meaning of leaving and going away? What is the meaning of separating and leaving? Come, let us wage a political struggle together here. But our friends did not choose that. They set out on another political journey.
"WHY DID YOU DIVIDE THE CHP?"
Now, in response to this, it is necessary to ask this: Why did you divide the Republican People's Party? Why did you divide Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's party and build another party for yourselves? We ask our friends: What is your ideological and political difference from the Six Arrows? What is your difference from our program? We cannot see any political difference. I think they cannot see one either. Well, if this is not a political split, if there is an artificial split here, then why did you go to another party? Why did you found another party?
There is only one explanation for this: You want to build seats for yourselves. You are looking for seats for yourselves. Instead of waging a political struggle here, you needed a party. And you founded that party and wanted to tear apart and divide the Republican People's Party. So the matter is this clear. This is not a matter related to the Republican People's Party not holding its congresses and convention, or to its calendar. This matter is very clearly related to our friends' perspective on the Republican People's Party. "
"WE WANT TO STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER TOGETHER IN THE IMM"
Sarı explained how they would act in the event of a possible election for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor as follows:
"In the split in municipal councils and in the split in mayoralties, we do not want to be a party to the split, especially in Istanbul. We want to remain together, be together, and stand shoulder to shoulder together in the IMM against the AKP. We have said this from the very beginning. Because in the IMM, the difference between the number of municipal council members of the People's Alliance and the number of municipal council members of the YENİ Party plus the CHP—that is, the opposition, and let us include DEM as well—has decreased considerably. Now, at such a time, as you know, DEM also wanted to establish its own group and split within this process.
However, they stated that they remained within the solidarity they established regarding the city consensus. These are their own choices and their own discretion. That is, they may act together with the Republican People's Party, they may act together with the YENİ Party; I draw such a political conclusion from this, but they will now have their own group. Now we wanted the Republican People's Party group not to be split as 'the YENİ Party and CHP group.'
In fact, look, we made very great sacrifices in this matter too. What were those sacrifices of ours? We even put up with the damage to and erosion of the Republican People's Party's institutional identity. Can you imagine? A municipal council member, a Republican People's Party municipal council member, calls Republican People's Party members in his own district and asks them to resign and join another party. He participates in another party's political activity. He keeps another party's leader in his own office. Or he says, 'I am a Republican People's Party municipal council member, but my leader is Özgür Özel.'
"IT HAS NOW REACHED AN UNSUSTAINABLE POINT"
Now we have seen, experienced, noted, and recorded all of these. And so that we would not be a party to this split, we put up with some of these things so that we could be together and act together against a possible election that could arise in Istanbul, and so that no split would occur. But this has now reached an unsustainable point.
Last week or the week before, we had to expel 2 of our friends. Now, in the coming days, we have had resignations. As you know, the YENİ Party left the Republican People's Party and established its own group. They are the side that split, not us. They are the ones who left the party and resigned, not us. They are the ones who went their own way, not us. Despite all this, we nevertheless declare, as the Republican People's Party, that we are open to cooperation, that we are together, and that we will act together so that the AKP does not win Istanbul. In the coming days, there will be meetings in Istanbul on this matter. We will carry out work in the Istanbul Provincial organization with both our mayors and our municipal council members. And throughout the weekend our meetings will continue, and as a result of these meetings we will have reached a point, a decision. "