Will it ultimately benefit Özgür Özel?

Of course, the writing was on the wall.

The moment he stood with his jacket buttoned up and hands clasped in front of Tayyip after the local election victory, saying let's soften, let's mellow out, that was the moment he handed him the biggest trump card.

To put it more plainly, he lost the case from the very beginning.

Now, it wouldn't matter if he could perform miracles.

The government is piling on the pressure. Investigation after investigation, lawsuit after lawsuit...

Naturally, they are carrying out Tayyip's instruction to "shake down the CHP municipalities."

Yet, after March 31, it should have been the CHP shaking down the government, not the government shaking down CHP municipalities. But for reasons unknown, Özgür Özel squandered the historic opportunity that fell into his lap.

From this point on, the government could throw mayors in jail just for having eyebrows above their eyes.

They don't even need more than that.

Most recently, Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler was arrested.

The list is growing every day.

Of course, there is the "Fool case" above all else.

On December 14, 2022, the Istanbul 7th Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced Ekrem to 2 years, 7 months, and 15 days in prison, along with a political ban. The prosecutor's office filed an appeal on the grounds that the decision was contrary to procedure and law. His lawyers objected to the verdict. The appellate court has not yet announced its decision.

The sword of Damocles is hanging over him!

If it is upheld, his mayorship will be terminated, and he will be politically banned. One does not need to be a prophet to predict that the situation in the CHP will become chaotic if the government pulls the plug on Ekrem.

We do not know for now whether he will pursue "political leadership" through the victimhood narrative that our people love so much with such a ban, or if he will make plans and projects for after 2028, saying I am still considered young anyway, but today the circumstances and conditions are manifesting in a manner that is highly unfavorable for him.

Since all of Özgür Özel's apparent concern is saving Ekrem, there is neither time left to provide proper opposition against the government nor the political energy to do so.

Even if he had the time and energy, whether he has the capacity and skill to use it is a separate matter of debate...

Because Tayyip knows this, he keeps piling on the pressure.

Try to find rights, law, and justice if you can.

The Akın Gürlek issue is also important.

Anyone who can read and write Turkish can see that Ekrem's words do not constitute a "threat," but the prosecutor's office still launched an investigation with accusations of "threatening and targeting individuals involved in the fight against terrorism." He faces up to 7 years in prison.

There is also the investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding Ekrem's university diploma. The charge is forgery of official documents.

It is not just Ekrem and Mansur who are being targeted.

The government is hitting the CHP at every point it perceives as weak. Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was arrested, and an indictment was prepared against Kartal Mayor Gökhan Yüksel on charges of "misconduct in office."

The Istanbul Police Department conducted an operation against nine CHP municipalities within the scope of the "urban consensus," and 10 people were detained.

Kartal Deputy Mayor Cemalettin Yüksel and Ataşehir Deputy Mayor Livan Gür, as well as Hasan Özdemir from Tuzla, Nesimi Aday from Adalar, Sinan Gökçe from Şişli, Bülent Kaygun from Üsküdar, Elif Gül from Sancaktepe, and Güzin Alpaslan from Fatih were sent to prison.

With the situation as it is, the CHP cannot seem to get out of its own half and launch an organized attack into the opponent's half. The moment it leaves a gap in defense, it concedes a goal anyway.

For example, they have now targeted Medya A.Ş., one of the IMM subsidiaries. They seized computers and accounting records.

They will try to manufacture crimes from here. Let us not be surprised if they extend this to Ekrem.

There is not just the "Fool case" issue at hand.

It is alleged that Ekrem rigged a tender in 2015. His hearing is on April 11!

A surprise goal could come from here.

Furthermore, allegations that "irregular spending caused public loss" in artistic events organized by the Istanbul and Ankara Metropolitan Municipalities have also become the subject of an investigation.

Ekrem is the target, but they do not neglect to keep Mansur in check in the meantime.

If Özgür Özel could have created synergy through the historic success the CHP achieved in the local elections and displayed a strong stance against the government from day one, if he could have understood the sensitivities of our people regarding the Öcalan issue, and if he had kept the economic crisis and social collapse more on the agenda instead of losing the psychological upper hand to Tayyip, neither would CHP municipalities be shaken down like this, nor could the government act as comfortably as if it were walking around in a village without dogs.

Before concluding the article, let us ask our ten-point expert question and put a period to our writing: Will Ekrem and Mansur being out of the game pave the way for Özgür Özel, and will all these lawsuits, investigations, and arrests ultimately make Özgür Özel the natural candidate of the CHP in the election?