14.02.2026 22:31
Mustafa Destici, the Chairman of the Great Union Party, commented on the resignation of Keçiören Mayor Dr. Mesut Özarslan from the CHP during a television program. Destici stated, "We all wish that elected mayors complete their terms under the identity of the parties they were elected from. This is our general thought, our general opinion."
Great Union Party Chairman Mustafa Destici answered questions from Neşe Berber on Neşe Berber's program on Leader News TV. The broadcast also discussed topics reflecting Ankara's political landscape.
While responding to a question about the resignation of Keçiören Mayor Dr. Mesut Özarslan from the Republican People's Party (CHP), Destici stated that it is a general expectation for mayors to complete their terms in the party they were elected from.
DESTİCİ: "MAYORS SHOULD COMPLETE THEIR TERMS WITH PARTY IDENTITY"
Destici said, "We all wish that elected mayors complete their terms under the identity of the parties they were elected from. This is our general thought, our general opinion."
"MESUT ÖZARSLAN IS NOT A NAME COMING FROM CHP TRADITION"
In his evaluation of Keçiören Mayor Dr. Mesut Özarslan, Destici also commented on Özarslan's political background. Destici stated, "Keçiören Mayor Mr. Mesut Özarslan is not someone coming from the Republican People's Party tradition... Mesut Özarslan is a nationalist and a Turkish nationalist friend." Regarding why Özarslan became a mayoral candidate from CHP, Destici said it is related to his past working relationship with Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş.
DESTİCİ: "IF IT HAS COME TO THIS POINT, THE MAYOR WHO WILL LEAVE"
Mustafa Destici criticized the level of correspondence between a party chairman and a mayor, sharing his views on how the decision to part ways is shaped in such a situation. Destici stated, "If a party chairman has come to this level of correspondence with a mayor, then surely the party chairman will not be the one to leave. Therefore, who will leave? It is the mayor."
RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION OF TRANSFERS FROM CHP TO AK PARTY
During the program, Neşe Berber raised the question of the recent transfers of mayors, especially from CHP and some other parties to the AK Party. Mustafa Destici noted that it would not be correct to attribute these transfers to a single reason. Destici said, "We cannot fit it into a single reason. Each of them has a separate reason, a separate story, a separate adventure." Stating that they are following the evaluations reflected in the public, Destici expressed that different justifications have been put forward.
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