31.01.2025 14:21
The leader of the New Welfare Party, Fatih Erbakan, stated, "I must express that I will be a candidate for president. There is a serious expectation and demand regarding this from both our organizations and our advisors, as well as from the voters."
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Fatih Erbakan, the leader of the New Welfare Party, answered the questions of the participants in the 'Word is There' program of the Ankara City Council, moderated by Deputy Chairman Suat Kılıç.
Erbakan stated, "We have expressed that we do not want terrorist leader Abdullah Öcalan either in Ankara or on the mainland. He should remain where he is. In fact, he should have been executed by now. We see even the pardon of his life as a great grace bestowed upon him. As far as we see and know, we observe that a process is underway where such a call is made, and as a result of this call, Öcalan is released from prison by benefiting from the right to hope, and thus the current government, with the support of the DEM Party, is trying to make a constitutional change in the direction it desires. Of course, it is not very transparent, but broadly speaking, it is like this. We have previously clearly stated that we are not part of such a process. Why? Because, firstly, we see it as a disrespect to our martyrs and veterans.
"ÖCALAN'S RELEASE WOULD BE A GREAT MISTAKE FOR THE MEMORY OF OUR MARTYRS"
We would evaluate any form of house arrest or release of Abdullah Öcalan as a mistake towards the memory of our martyrs and our veterans. Moreover, we have previously stated that it is an approach that would portray us as helpless. I mean, the image of 'As a state and a nation, we hope for help from Abdullah Öcalan, and we can only get rid of this trouble with his call; we have fought for 40 years with our armed forces, our security organization, and all state institutions, and we could not cope; let Abdullah Öcalan support us and help us get rid of this' would, as I said, portray us as helpless," he said.
STRIKING WORDS ABOUT STRAY ANIMALS
Fatih Erbakan stated, "Stray animals should live safely alongside humans. Our Yozgat Municipality has a very nice project regarding this. A facility was opened under the name 'Pet City,' where living spaces for animals have been beautifully arranged. Stray animals on the streets were collected and placed here. But of course, it is not like the bad experiences we have had so far; it is a very nice complex that needs to be visited, where schools and students constantly visit on weekends. The aim was to ensure their sterilization, vaccination, and to allow them to live under the supervision of expert veterinarians, and this goal has been achieved. We also congratulate our Yozgat Mayor Kazım Aslan for this. The project should be expanded, and modern pet cities where animals can live in the best conditions should be built, and they should be gathered here to continue their lives. Of course, we do not want these attacks to happen, we need to prevent this. This does not exist in developed countries. But we also respect the right of those animals to live, and we have expressed that we are absolutely against their extermination. We believe that such animals should be gathered and kept alive in a facility, as in the example of our Yozgat Municipality," he expressed.
"THE ARREST OF JOURNALISTS CREATES AN IMAGE OF HARSHNESS"
Fatih Erbakan stated, "Such interventions undermine confidence in Turkey. I find the practices extremely harsh. Here, a political party leader is taken away and arrested while having dinner in a restaurant. Now, if you invite him, he would be in a position to come, his address is known, and the address of the headquarters is known. He is a well-known person who has previously been involved in politics. He has not committed murder, nor has he been caught while smuggling drugs or doing anything immoral. There will be an action taken against him because of a word or a thought. He should be invited, and his statement should be taken. And of course, I think it would be much more appropriate for him to be tried without detention rather than being detained. Whether we agree with his views or not is a separate issue; being a political rival is a separate issue. But I want to express that these treatments and this application are not appropriate. The same situation applies to journalists as well. Recording and publishing a meeting secretly and without permission is certainly not appropriate and does not comply with journalistic ethics. However, the arrest of journalists creates an image of harshness. It presents a picture that negatively affects investors' views on Turkey, the hopes of our youth for the future, and even the perspective of our own people towards Turkey," he said.
"I MUST EXPRESS THAT I WILL BE A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT"
Regarding the upcoming presidential elections, Erbakan stated, "The New Welfare Party will nominate its own candidate this time. To start from the last one, I must express that I will be a candidate for president. There is a serious expectation and demand from both our organizations and our supporters. Also, we know that in the previous election, we waived our candidacy for the presidency. We stated that we withdrew from our candidacy during the signature collection process. Of course, I think it would not be politically or logically appropriate for us to not enter the election in favor of another presidential candidate once again. God willing, this time the New Welfare Party will show its own presidential candidate, and it is very natural for this candidate to be the chairman of a party," he said.
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