YRP reacts to AK Party's mayor transfers: Forcing resignations and bringing them into your own party is an unfair and unjust practice.

The Deputy Chairman of the Welfare Party, Suat Kılıç, made statements after the Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting chaired by Chairman Fatih Erbakan.

"MAYORS SHOULD PROTECT THEIR TRUST UNTIL THE END"

Kılıç stated that regarding the mayors who switched from the Welfare Party to the AK Party, "13 out of 63 municipalities of the Welfare Party have left our party. This is not a normal situation. We cannot see and accept this as a normal, ordinary situation. It is not legal to use the opportunities and power of the state, the power of the public, to influence or pressure the elected mayors of the opposition in any way," he said.

"IT IS AN UNFAIR AND UNJUST PRACTICE"

Kılıç emphasized that this situation is not in accordance with justice and fairness, saying "Forcing elected mayors from one party to resign and join your own party is an unfair and unjust practice. It is completely contrary to the logic of elections, the sociology of politics, and the reflection of the will of the voters in the ballot box. Of course, the Welfare Party does not have ministries, bureaucratic institutions, large budgets, or the authority to indebt municipalities. We cannot provide credit to our elected mayors. We cannot find money. We cannot send garbage trucks. But what really matters is for the municipality to create opportunities and find solutions to the needs of the people with its own resources. It is for all state institutions in Ankara, regardless of which party they belong to, to treat all municipalities and mayors equally without any party discrimination," he said.

"CHANGING PLACES DOES NOT BENEFIT ANYONE"

Suat Kılıç said, "If you make mayors unable to serve and the mayors consider leaving their parties for this reason, a great injustice emerges here. Changing places does not benefit the one leaving or the one receiving. Therefore, I say that elected mayors should stay in their own parties regardless of the opportunities and possibilities they have. They should protect the trust of the people. If there are unfair or exclusionary practices that prevent them from serving, they should explain this to the public and bring it to the attention of the people. This is what is right. This is what needs to be done. Our recommendation to all mayors, including those elected from other parties, is to remain worthy of the will, interest, and trust of the people who elected them and to protect the trust given to them with the party logo for the entire five years," he said.

"MR. GÜRPINAR IS IN OUR PARTY, HE IS IN ŞANLIURFA"

Kılıç, saying "I exempt our Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mr. Mehmet Kasım Gürpınar from these discussions," added, "Our metropolitan mayor has repeatedly stated his peace in his party, his satisfaction with his party, and his will to serve the people of Şanlıurfa both during the process of switching to our party and in his subsequent statements. I think these discussions are deliberate polemics and reflections of a smear campaign. Mr. Gürpınar is in our party, he is in Şanlıurfa. He continues his service and our belief and conviction about him, that he will continue his service under the roof of the Welfare Party just as he did on the day he was elected, is complete," he said.