09.02.2026 14:50
The Mayor of Keçiören, Mesut Özarslan, who resigned from the CHP, claimed that the Mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavaş, is "apathetically" in the CHP and said, "May the Almighty be his helper."
On the evening of February 8, Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan announced his resignation from the Republican People's Party (CHP), claiming that CHP Chairman Özgür Özel sent him insulting messages and filed a criminal complaint. In his statements, Özarslan also made a striking remark regarding Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş.
"HE IS STAYING IN CHP IN A DISHEARTENED WAY"
Özarslan expressed that he has no personal grievance against Mansur Yavaş, but suggested that Yavaş is also reluctantly staying in the CHP. Özarslan stated, "What can he do, to avoid falling out with his party... I believe he is staying there in a disheartened way."
"IF THEY WITHDRAW THEIR SUPPORT, HE WILL HAVE NO VALUE"
Pointing out Yavaş's political past and the support he received, Özarslan argued that the Ankara Metropolitan Mayor was elected with the support of the nationalist and conservative community. Özarslan claimed that if this support is withdrawn, Yavaş will have no value both in Ankara and across Turkey.
"MAY MY LORD DELIVER HIM SOON"
Continuing his statements, Özarslan emphasized that he has no problem with Mansur Yavaş personally, saying, "But what can I say, may my exalted Lord be his helper. May my Lord deliver him soon."
MAN SUR YAVAŞ HAD RESPONDED
On the other hand, Mansur Yavaş, in a post he made after Özarslan's resignation, stated that the will of the people of Keçiören was disregarded, emphasizing that the authority given at the ballot box cannot be transferred through personal preferences. Yavaş included the following statements in his announcement: "This decision, which casts a shadow over the will of the people of Keçiören, is absolutely unacceptable. Our citizens have made a clear, definite, and indisputable choice at the ballot box; they entrusted the management of Keçiören to the Republican People's Party, and they did so with their free will. If the people of Keçiören wanted this district to be managed by the AK Party, they would have already expressed it clearly and unequivocally at the ballot box. The ballot box is the voice of the nation; there can be no justification or calculation above that voice.
It should not be forgotten that;
Authority belongs to the nation.
The authority obtained at the ballot box belongs directly to the voter, not to individuals or institutions.
This authority is a trust; it cannot be transferred arbitrarily, cannot change hands, and cannot be usurped.
Until now, there has not been a single complaint regarding the policies of the Republican People's Party, and whenever the issue has come up, he has categorically denied the claims that have been made for about a month regarding him "switching to the AK Party" in front of everyone.
Thousands of party members, thousands of volunteers; without expecting any return, day and night, with faith and sacrifice, have worked for his election. This decision is not just a political preference; it is a blatant disrespect to that effort, that faith, and that sweat.
Politics is temporary; positions come and go.
But there are some decisions that are etched in memory.
Because the nation will remember both what has been done to it
and those who disregard it
when the time comes."