08.09.2025 14:22
Gürsel Tekin, who was appointed as a trustee to the CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency, arrived at the party headquarters. Speaking in front of the building surrounded by hundreds of police officers, Tekin stated, "We are extremely comfortable. We are not part of the problem; I told my friends not to do this. We are not trustees or anything like that." Regarding the protests that interrupted his speech, Tekin said, "I swear on my honor, not a single one of those shouting is a member of the CHP."
Gürsel Tekin, who was appointed as a trustee by the decision of the 45th Civil Court of Istanbul, arrived at the CHP Istanbul provincial headquarters. Under the protection of hundreds of police, Tekin advanced through the crowd in the party building and held a press conference.
"I TOLD MY FRIENDS NOT TO DO IT"
Tekin stated, "We are extremely comfortable. We are not part of the problem; I told my friends not to do it. We could have entered 6 days ago; we are in contact with our friends."
"WE ARE NOT TRUSTEES"
Highlights from trustee Gürsel Tekin's statements are as follows: "Don't panic; your questions will be answered. We are extremely comfortable. We are not part of this problem at all. We are not trustees or anything. How strange it is that despite not having spoken for six days, we should go hand in hand to our ancestral home. They cannot stop us. CHP members will not react to me. No one can object to our neutrality. What we have done is a guarantee of what we will do. We have not separated any of our friends within the party. I wanted to see the strength of our friends in Esenyurt and Şişli."
"MY FRIENDS AND I, OUR FAMILIES HAVE BEEN THREATENED"
The provincial presidency is our ancestral home. We could have entered 6-7 days ago. We are in contact with our friends. My duty here is not to fall into provocation; we will have very important efforts for the institutional identity of our ancestral home. My friends and I, our families have been threatened. We know all of this. Someone may want to divide the CHP. Tomorrow, whenever our provincial chairman Özgür Çelik wants, we can sit down. Some parts of our press spread words as if they were not ours. From the very first day, I told my party leader Özgür Özel that I want to visit you. Sold or not... We have no monetary value. Our lives have been spent fighting against tender gangs."
A WATER BOTTLE WAS THROWN AT TEKIN WHILE HE WAS SPEAKING
Meanwhile, during Tekin's speech, someone from the crowd threw a water bottle at his head. Tekin responded to this incident by saying, "No problem at all; they can throw bullets if they want. Nothing can stop us."
TEKIN REQUESTED NOTIFICATION TO START HIS DUTY
After the temporary removal of CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik and the current administration by court order, former CHP Istanbul MP Gürsel Tekin, who was temporarily assigned to the Istanbul Provincial Administration, applied to the 45th Civil Court of Istanbul, requesting that "the necessary notifications and correspondence for him to start his duty be carried out urgently." Gürsel Tekin applied to the court with a request to be informed of the decision of the 45th Civil Court of Istanbul to start his duty.
In the petition submitted to the court by Tekin's lawyer Barış Demirkuş, it was stated, "The necessary notifications, correspondence, and procedures for the enforcement of the interim decision dated 02/09/2025 issued by your esteemed court should be carried out urgently, ensuring that the temporary board, including my client, can start its duties in practice..."
Lawyer Demirkuş noted in the petition that the court's decision is of the nature of "temporary legal protection" and therefore must be implemented without delay, stating, "Court decisions must be implemented immediately in accordance with Article 138 of the Constitution. Otherwise, the legal security aimed by the decision and the protection of the right to vote and be elected will become ineffective." Meanwhile, Gürsel Tekin arrived at the CHP Istanbul Provincial Headquarters, which has been under police blockade since last night.