Turhan Çömez explained for the first time to Haberler.com the incident that created a rift between him and President Erdoğan.

İYİ Party Group Deputy Chairman Op. Dr. Turhan Çömez was the guest of Gökay Kalaycıoğlu, the host of the "Haber Bahane" program published on Haberler.com. Çömez shared for the first time the incident that caused a rift between him and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"ERDOĞAN WAS UPSET WHEN HE SAW THAT I APPLIED FOR CANDIDACY"

Çömez stated that an early election was held about a year after the establishment of the AK Party, and mentioned that while he was serving as Erdoğan's Chief of Staff and Advisor, he applied for candidacy as a parliamentary candidate. Çömez said, "When the lists came up and he saw that I had applied, he seemed very upset and reacted. He said, 'Why wasn't I informed?' I told him that the decision would be made by you, but the decision to be a candidate is mine."

"HE TOLD ME 'I WILL NOT MAKE YOU A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT'"

Turhan Çömez stated, "Erdoğan told me, 'I will not make you a member of parliament.' I thanked him and wrote a two-line resignation letter. I resigned from the candidacy for parliament and from the Chief of Staff position. For me, that chapter is completely closed."

"WE MET IN PARLIAMENT AS YOUNG MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT"

Çömez noted that according to the polls, there were 3 members of parliament elected in Balıkesir, where he was a candidate, and despite his resignation, he saw his name in the 4th place. He said, "I called him and said, I know the reason, you conducted a poll in Balıkesir, 3 members of parliament are being elected. Let's put Turan in 4th place so that it can be said he couldn't win, and you planned for a complete purge. He is listening to me carefully. But we will meet in parliament. I will come from Balıkesir, do not worry, and we elected 5 members of parliament from Balıkesir. I met with him in parliament as a 37-year-old young member of parliament and a former advisor to Erdoğan."

"I SEPARATED MY PATHS FROM THE AK PARTY"

Çömez expressed that after shaking hands amicably with Erdoğan, he started his work within the party and stated that over time, the party had deviated from its founding purpose. Çömez said, "I gradually started to separate my path. I made harsh criticisms within the party. By the end of the period, I wrote a letter to the public. I said it is not possible for me to do politics with this party, I am separating my paths and I declare that I will not do politics in the ranks of the AK Party again, and I separated my paths."