09.05.2026 16:54
AK Party Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik made a statement regarding Afyonkarahisar Mayor Burcu Köksal. In his statement, Çelik said, 'You see the mayors who will join our party in our meetings. You can see the developments there.'
It is being discussed that CHP's Afyonkarahisar Mayor Burcu Köksal will join the AK Party next week together with Ankara Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, who recently resigned from the party.
FIRST COMMENT FROM THE AK PARTY FRONT
As the repercussions of the incident continue, the first comment came from the AK Party front. AK Party Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Ömer, in his statement on the matter, said, "You see the mayors who will join our party in our meetings. You will see the developments there."
"THE PROBLEMS IN HIS OWN PARTY..."
Continuing his remarks, Çelik criticized the opposition, saying, "The Chairman of the Republican People's Party has a problem; He constantly tries to manage the governance problems in his own party through the AK Party. He has a situation of not being able to manage his own party. He constantly tries to explain it through the AK Party. The Republican People's Party cannot be governed. While in opposition, he threatened state bodies, military bodies, journalists, and places where books are sold."
"IF THEY KICK ME OUT THE DOOR, I'LL COME IN THROUGH THE CHIMNEY" HE HAD SAID
During Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's tenure as CHP Chairman, Köksal served as a member of the TBMM Presidential Council and later as CHP Deputy Group Chair. During this duty, she was nominated as a candidate for Afyonkarahisar Mayor and was elected to the position. After Özgür Özel was elected CHP Chairman in November 2024, comments were made in party circles that "she did not get along with the new administration." It is known that Köksal, who clashed with the CHP administration due to her views on the Kurdish issue, also faced harsh criticism from within the AK Party.
Köksal was among those who criticized Izmir Deputy Mehmet Ali Çelebi's joining the AK Party with the harshest words. After Çerçioğlu joined the AK Party, Köksal denied claims that she would join the ruling party, saying, "I am a born-and-bred CHP member. If they kick me out the door, I'll come in through the chimney."