26.04.2025 15:30
After the second operation targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), CHP Chairman Özgür Özel stated, "I propose the biggest duel in the history of politics. There will be a trial broadcast live, and then we will take the average of all the polling companies in Turkey. If I am convinced of İmamoğlu's guilt, I will leave politics; if not, you will leave. Are you in? In fact, I will even give you a 25% advance."
```html
The third of the "Standing Up for the Will of the Nation" rallies, held every weekend in a different province of Turkey for the release of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was suspended from duty, and for early elections, took place in Mersin.
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, speaking at the Yenişehir Square where the rally was held, said, "I am addressing Tayyip Erdoğan. Mr. Erdoğan, if you trust your prosecutor, stand behind your prosecutor. I trust Mayor Ekrem, I am fully behind him. Let your prosecutors ask questions, let my president be tried live on air. Let's see who is honest and who is a slanderer, do you dare? Here, I am making a big offer to Mr. Erdoğan in front of the whole nation. I propose the biggest duel in the history of politics, our political history. There will be a trial live on air, then we will take the average of all the polling companies in Turkey. If I am convinced of İmamoğlu's guilt, I will leave politics; if not, you will leave, do you dare? I even give you a 25% advance. If your prosecutor is proven right, I will resign; if İmamoğlu's innocence is proven, will you resign? Do you have the courage? I challenge you."
"THEY ATTEMPTED A COUP AGAINST THE FUTURE PRESIDENT"
Özel continued his speech with the following statements:
There are two types of coups in the world; one is a civil coup and the other is a military coup. This country has seen both in the past, but the world has not seen anything like what is happening in Turkey these days. They attempted a coup against not a past elected official, but against the presidential candidate of the next election, the presidential candidate of the CHP, the founding party of the country, the future president. In the face of this coup attempt, there are millions of brave hearts who protect their republic, the legacy of Atatürk, and their democracy.
Every coup has a junta, a leader, and a target. The target is undoubtedly Ekrem İmamoğlu as a person, but essentially it was your will. The headquarters of this junta is Beştepe, the Palace. The weapon is the judiciary it has seized; the ammunition is lies and slander.
"THEY DARED NOT TO CARRY OUT THE OPERATION DURING THE WEEK"
The nation has an agenda of earthquakes, while they are trying to initiate a new operation when I say let my chosen one take his place. They have detained 53 more people, including high-level bureaucrats from the IMM. Their aim is to try to find evidence they couldn't find and to convince a false witness through 53 new innocent people. The markets, the stock exchange demand law, they demand trust. For this reason, they did not dare to carry out this operation during the week. They are conducting this operation on a Saturday morning after the markets have closed so that the stock market does not fall and the dollar does not rise. If there were morality and law in this operation, why would the stock market fall, why would the markets be disturbed? We all know that what has been thrown is a lie, that it is a setup made by Erdoğan to get rid of his rival.
"THE ISSUE IS NOT CORRUPTION"
İSKİ objected to this, and the General Manager of İSKİ, as the person who objected to this at the most fundamental level, visited Mayor Ekrem and presented information notes. He sent the demolition decision regarding the constructions to TOKİ. This morning, the general manager of İSKİ, who was not mentioned in the operation 40 days ago, the deputy general manager, and the assistant of the zoning department were detained in a dawn raid. The issue is not corruption, but the absence of Kanal Istanbul. If there is no Kanal Istanbul, there is no Erdoğan, that is why he is attacking our friends.
They want to seize the will of the nation and the rent of Istanbul. While Mayor Ekrem is inside, Erdoğan appeared in the ads on Arab channels.
"YOU ARE NOT A FRIEND TO ISTANBUL OR THIS NATION"
The people of Istanbul placed Mayor Ekrem in the main seat of AKOM. The one who will carry out the earthquake-related works and protect Istanbul from the earthquake is Mayor Ekrem and our friends. To imprison these friends is to leave Istanbul unprepared for the earthquake. I am addressing Erdoğan. What are you doing? At this time, a snake does not bite a man. If you are gathering these experts while the earthquake is at the door, you are not a friend to Istanbul or this nation.
Yesterday in Ankara, they detained 30 of our young people. They had detained 2,000 young people in Istanbul. More than 40 of our children are detained across Turkey. We kiss the foreheads of our young people one by one. Thank goodness they exist, thank goodness they resist.
```