Statement from Özgür Özel regarding CHP's presidential candidate! A notable detail about Mansur Yavaş...

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel met with CHP correspondents in Ankara. During his meeting with journalists, Özel made statements regarding the current agenda.

CONGRESS DEBATES WITHIN CHP

According to Birgün, speaking on internal party debates and the demand for a party congress, Özel stated the following:

"This debate reached a point of saturation, and I told my friends that we are ending these discussions and will not continue them. A few days later, 81 provincial chairs—46 of whom did not support me at the congress—said, ‘We support our chairman's policies. The footsteps of a CHP government are being heard,’ and they cut the debate off sharply. I do not want to turn back and engage in the same debates from now on.

Things that do not exist on the street have no equivalent in the congress hall. There is satisfaction with the CHP administration on the street. All polls show this. Any debate outside of this pulls the party down. Since March, we have been following the averages of six subscription-based companies.

We only experienced a decline in September, and that was also due to the congress issue. We were the leading party every month we talked about the citizens' problems. Everything improved in October, and I haven't seen a single poll in November where we weren't in first place. Turning inward has a cost for the CHP, and we have left these debates behind.

The agendas being attempted to be created on social media are very artificial. This is an agenda funded from outside the party, not from within. They want to make it look like there is chaos in the CHP. But this is a debate carried out by bot accounts, not real people.

As a chairman who hears the voice of the organization, listens to the voice of the organization, and makes decisions together with the organization, I listen to the voice of the organization, and we do whatever the organization wants."

CHP'S PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

Regarding his party's presidential candidate, Özel said the following:

"In the 2019 elections, the IYI Party wanted to make Mansur Yavaş the candidate, but Mr. Mansur expressed the view, ‘I am the CHP's candidate.’ It was a correct decision that brought success. Later, calls were made to both Mr. Mansur and Mr. Ekrem to act outside the stance of their parties. Both of them passed this test.

Mr. Mansur has a demand regarding Turkey being governed better, and he has a claim on this point. Nothing could be more natural than this. But I believe and see that Mr. Mansur will respect the results of the entire party's decisions. He already has his own statements as well.

While the names of Mr. Mansur and Mr. Ekrem are mentioned, I sometimes hear complaints from other names saying, ‘We are here too.’ I am commenting on them because the names of the two candidates have come to the fore.

Blocking anyone's path is not in the tradition or culture of the CHP. I have always been asked about two candidates. When a third is asked about, we wish them success as well. We need fellow travelers who will contribute to this process.

The issue of changing this government is a matter far beyond personal demands. Responsibility falls to some of us, and sacrifice falls to others."