Allegations that Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality gave money to the New Welfare Party

Suat Kılıç, Deputy Chairman of the New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi), made statements regarding the agenda and local elections following his party's Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting.

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Allegations that Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality gave money to the New Welfare Party

Kılıç began his remarks at the start of the meeting by commemorating the citizens who lost their lives in the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, stating, “The fresh and burning hearts are still in the same place of fire today as they were a year ago.

We once again pray for God's mercy upon our 53 thousand 537 citizens who lost their lives. We once again wish their relatives condolences, patience, and fortitude,” he said.

THEY LISTED THEIR EXPECTATIONS FROM PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Kılıç reminded that citizens affected by the earthquake migrated to other cities and said that those who migrated have not yet been able to return to their hometowns. Expressing that the workplaces that were destroyed, closed, or rendered inoperable have not yet returned to their former state, Kılıç stated that the streets will not come alive unless those who left return.

Noting that their expectation from public institutions and organizations is to mobilize all the state's resources and accelerate the steps taken to return life to normal in the 11 provinces that suffered destruction, Kılıç said, “It is the urgent acceleration of diligent steps towards returning life to normal in our 11 provinces affected by great destruction, in terms of social life, commercial life, and agricultural life. Only when life returns to normal in our earthquake-stricken and destroyed provinces will perhaps some more distance have been covered in healing the wounds,” he stated.

Speaking about the armed attack in front of the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan, Kılıç said, "If terrorist organizations have intentions to drag Turkey into a new chaos and turmoil before the local elections, our security forces will not allow this."

Speaking about the developments in Gaza, Kılıç said, “We have a Gaza agenda that we are trying not to let be forgotten. Unfortunately, the world is ready and willing to forget, and Turkey's attention also seems to be gradually drifting away from the Gaza issue. As the New Welfare Party, as a requirement of respect for the memories of the martyrs and the deceased.

As a requirement of the expectations of the wounded, I express once again from this podium that we will not forget and will not let be forgotten the millions of Gazans who have been driven from their homes, whose lands have been treacherously occupied, and who have been more than sufficiently affected by the ruthlessness and aggression of the genocide criminal Netanyahu and Israeli state terrorism, in the hope that it will contribute to their joy of living,” he said.

Adding that Israel is systematically committing state terrorism in Gaza, Kılıç underlined that the number of civilians who lost their lives is 27 thousand 585, and added that more than 10 thousand of those who lost their lives were innocent children.

“WE ARE NOT A REGIONAL PARTY"

Deputy Chairman Kılıç stated that the New Welfare Party is preparing decisively for the Local Administration Elections to be held on Sunday, March 31, 2024, and said, “While we continue our decisive steps towards the March 31, 2024 local elections, we also continue to offer our contributions regarding Turkey's macro-management vision until 2028.

We are interested in macro-politics, we are interested in macro-economics, we are interested in foreign policy. We are interested in agriculture, livestock, and mining policies. Besides being interested, we are knowledgeable, prepared, determined, resilient, insightful, and strong. We have ready, knowledgeable, conscious, and systematic cadres carrying out work.

We are aware of this, and there are also conscious and prepared cadres in the state. We truly value this. As the New Welfare Party, while we prepare for the local elections on one hand, we will continue to maintain our contributions regarding Turkey's general management vision on the other. We are not a regional party.

We are a Turkey party with organizations in all 81 provinces and 922 districts of Turkey. We are not a political party that can be described as ‘local anesthesia,’ which is interested in some problems and ignores many others.

We are a political party that is sensitive to all of Turkey's problems and interested in all its issues. Therefore, while presenting our solution proposals for the local elections, we will continue to share our general approaches with the public,” he said.

“SUCH DISGUSTING ALLEGATIONS...”

Upon a journalist asking about the allegation that the New Welfare Party received money from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, New Welfare Party Deputy Chairman Kılıç said, “To even think that the New Welfare Party could enter into a support relationship in exchange for any financial benefit from anyone in Ankara or Istanbul is absurd and a waste of time. There are good relations and friendships established during the May 14 and May 28 election processes.

There are bridges built from the heart. No one has the right to destroy these bridges. Politics is not a one-day occupation. Politics is not a 24-hour job. Politics is a long-term race, a long-term struggle. Those who come to the agenda with these allegations and slanders today will lose the ability to look our people in the face tomorrow.

We express and declare that we will use our legal rights and go to the judiciary in the face of such disgusting allegations. Whoever has an allegation regarding such matters must document it and refer it to the relevant authorities. Otherwise, it will remain limited to simple slanders, gossip, and rumors. We do not deserve this,” he stated.

News Source: İHA