13.02.2025 16:11
The debate over the primary elections in the CHP continues to heat up. Mansur Yavaş's announcement that he will not participate in the primaries and his subsequent claims that he will run if the polls continue to show such results were directed at CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. Özel referred to the recent tripartite meeting they held, stating, "These are not the statements we heard on Sunday evening."
The CHP will go to a primary election on March 23 to determine its presidential candidate. The words of Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who announced that he would not participate in the primary, stating "If the polls continue to come out like this, know that I will run," have shaken the corridors of power. Özgür Özel, who held a joint press conference with Ali Babacan after his visit to the DEVA Party, answered journalists' questions regarding the candidacy process here.
Özel congratulated Babacan for being re-elected as the chairman of the DEVA Party at its 2nd Congress, saying, "I had the opportunity to provide information about the early election preparation process that the CHP is conducting within its own internal dynamics; from the identification of ballot box duties to the program work that we hope will evolve into a power program and the ongoing efforts within the CHP regarding the process of determining the presidential candidate."
"DO YOU HAVE A POSSIBILITY OF GOING TO THE ELECTION WITH TWO CANDIDATES?"
This topic was also asked to Özgür Özel. In response to the journalist's question, "Yavaş's statements, 'If the polls continue to come out like this, know that I will run' have been reflected in the press. No denial has come. In such a scenario, assuming İmamoğlu also comes out of the primary, is there a situation where we go to an election with two candidates? How will Mr. Mansur run this way? Will his membership in the CHP continue, or will he run as an independent with 100,000 signatures? What is your scenario in this table?" Özel replied:
"I HEARD YAVAŞ'S MENTIONED WORDS AFTER THE MEETING"
"We do not have such a scenario. Both of my mayors said, 'If my party gives me a task, I am there, and I respect the decisions made by my party.' After that, I do not find it right to respond to these unnecessary discussions. The statements you just read, the statements I heard from our president Mansur Yavaş, I also heard, but not on Sunday evening. I heard them on Monday morning and Tuesday morning from the live statements of an Ankara representative. Since these are not the statements we heard on Sunday evening, journalists comment on politics, but politicians do not have an obligation to comment on journalists."
"BOTH MAYORS ARE READY FOR RESPONSIBILITY"
Özel continued: "What I can say regarding Sunday evening is this: Both Mr. Mansur Yavaş and Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu believe that the only solution for this country, which is in deep problems and crises, is early elections, and that they respect the decisions made by the authorized bodies of the Republican People's Party to ensure that this early election can be held, and ultimately the decisions that all its members will make, and that they will strive for the success of the party, and that the main goal is to bring the Republican People's Party to power, and that they are ready for sacrifice if it requires sacrifice, and for responsibility if it requires responsibility. We all discussed this, and that photo that reflects the hope we all have for Turkey is the summary of that meeting, not the behind-the-scenes that leaked out.
"WE REPEATED THE SAME VIEWS MULTIPLE TIMES"
Both Ekrem President and Mansur President shared that photo within minutes of its publication. Again, regarding these discussions, after my statements made in the group speech, "We agree on three main points" regarding Sunday evening, Mr. Mansur Yavaş turned and shared, "We are one and we are together."
Therefore, the expression "no denial has come" is not our job to confirm what is not real or to deny someone; we repeatedly express the same views based on the concrete reality we present, but there are friends who want to make completely different evaluations. We repeatedly express the same views based on the concrete reality we present, but there are friends who want to make completely different evaluations. I really do not know why they feel the need for this, but the truth is that these are the words that come out of our mouths. I heard those evaluations not from Mr. Mansur, but from the relevant journalist friend.