01.09.2026 15:22
New Party Chairman Özgür Özel reacted harshly to the joining of Ali Eren Bingöl, Özlem Çerçioğlu, Mesut Özarslan and Özlem Gürzel to the AK Party. Stating that the rights of the party organization and voters were violated, Özel said that he does not forgive these four names who sold all the efforts of the CHP and switched to the ruling side.
New Party Chairman Özgür Özel answered questions from Halk TV's Bengü Şap Babaeker, Kürşad Oğuz, and İbrahim Kahveci at the party headquarters regarding the current agenda. Özel made assessments about the transition of figures such as Ali Eren Bingöl, Özlem Çerçioğlu, Mesut Özarslan, and Özlem Gürzel to the AK Party, emphasizing that he does not grant his consent.
"THEY VIOLATED THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS"
Expressing his reaction without distinguishing between names, Özel said, "I am not going to deal with these one by one. May God forgive all their sins. They violated the rights of others. They received votes from the people by saying 'We will be the opposition' or by saying 'We are against this government' while serving. Then they left. They did wrong things."
"WE WILL NOT FORGIVE THOSE WHO SOLD ALL THAT EFFORT TO THE AKP"
Stating that the CHP organization works day and night without expecting anything in return and that voters trust the rhetoric, Özel argued that this right has been trampled upon. Continuing his reaction against the mayors, whom he said "have reached a point where they cannot show their faces in public" in their own cities, and those who left the party, Özel used the following statements: "Especially while our colleague Onursal Adıgüzel is in prison with honor right next to us, we will not forgive those who sold all this party's effort to the AKP."
ALLEGATION OF "ZONING CORRUPTION AND THREATS" IN TUZLA
Claiming that behind the party change in Tuzla lie "clearing the zoning corruption of the century" and threats, Özel criticized the "floor area ratio transfer" practices carried out during the term of the previous AK Party mayor Şadi Yazıcı, the floors granted through security gaps, and areas converted into villas for judicial officials. Claiming that despite offering solutions for the zoning crisis in Tuzla, the mayor was threatened and forced to switch to the AK Party, Özel stated that these actions aimed to cover up the irregularities.
"I WOULD RATHER GO TO PRISON THAN SWITCH TO THE AKP"
Claiming that pressures to switch parties are also being applied to other CHP municipalities, Özel said that offers were also made to Sinem Dedetaş and İzmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet. Alleging that they were pressured with "If you switch, you'll be saved from the AKP," Özel relayed that Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet rejected these offers, responding, "I would rather go to prison than switch to the AKP," and displayed a stance of defiance.