Breaking News... Özgür Özel announces he will not attend the iftar dinner at the Turkish Grand National Assembly: 'They've brandished the axe again!'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made statements regarding the agenda at his party's group meeting in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. 

We are holding our party's group meeting. https://t.co/4jH9d5PoqY

— Özgür Özel (@eczozgurozel) March 3, 2026

Reacting to the attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, Özel spoke as follows:

"We have objections to Iran's administration, its form of government, and what is happening in Iran. We have a determination and a stance regarding a democratic Iran where Iranians decide the future of Iran. But whether in South America, the Middle East, or anywhere else, for a country to go and commit a massacre there without the international community, without a United Nations resolution, by the decision of one person, without even the decision of its own senate, and for so many civilians... If 150 chicks died, it would be a tragedy, a tragedy! You would be saddened if 150 chicks died. 150 girls have died in American bombardment, and no one is looking back, thinking about it, or questioning it."

"I SWEAR BY GOD, WE WERE GOING TO ATTEND, THEY'VE BRANDISHED THE AXE AGAIN!"

Continuing his speech, Özel spoke about the iftar dinner to be hosted by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş at the Assembly this evening, which will also be attended by AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 

"I swear by God, we were going to attend. We were going to go to that table and accept the invitation of the Speaker of the Parliament for that iftar. If a national stance is needed, if the internal front needs to be strong, if the government and the entire opposition should be present there while Turkey is under such attack and the risks are so high..." said Özgür Özel, "They've brought out the axe again, friends, they've brought out the axe again! I will go, I will go to iftar; this evening I will go to Sincan Prison to be with Tanju!" he stated.

The highlights from Özel's statements are as follows:

"We have all left behind an intense week, and we are starting an even more intense one together. On Wednesday, we held our third regional rally in Istanbul. Then, we held our provincial rally and protest in Burdur. We have left behind 93 protests where we spoke about the troubles of workers, retirees, farmers, women, and youth against a civil coup."

"WE ARE PREPARING FOR THE MOST POWERFUL ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN WORLD POLITICAL HISTORY"

Yesterday, while introducing our qualified and strong staff at our presidential candidate office's presentation meeting, we showcased the first outputs of our party program evolving into a government program; our deputies, our party assembly members, and the Republican People's Party organization... That is not enough; we are preparing for the largest and most powerful election campaign in world political history.

We are carrying out an important march together with the 15.5 million volunteers who rushed to the solidarity ballot boxes on March 23 against the March 19 coup, and with all the democrats who stood against the coup and supported Mayor Ekrem and our fellow travelers. Greetings to those who listened to our presentation meeting yesterday, who then expressed their satisfaction with these promises and this election march to our provincial and district offices, and who want to close one era and open another with us; greetings to those who, after a hundred years, still place their hope in us for the Republic, for democracy, and to escape from scarcity and poverty, to prosper together, and to share equally!

That is why, that is why we will continue to work without stopping. When we started these actions, there were those who gave them a seasonal or cyclical lifespan. They said that these first two or three actions would be rallies, and then the people's excitement would fade. They said summer would come, students would leave, Istanbul would empty out; it would be hot, people wouldn't join the protests, they would go to their hometowns. We said that these are things to consider when holding political rallies or organizing meetings, but that is not the situation, that is not the sentiment.

This nation does not abandon whom it chooses, it does not abandon its right to vote. It does not abandon the ballot box, the greatest achievement of the Republic entrusted by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. If anyone reaches out to the ballot box, the nation stands tall against that hand. We said that they love their state, but if you pit the state against the nation, then the nation defends the ballot box, and the nation wins. Since that day, we have had actions where 15-16 people fainted in 46-degree heat, and actions where we froze in minus 4-degree weather but did not leave the square, where we stayed together under hail and snowstorms, but never took a step back.

"THIS STRUGGLE IS BETWEEN THOSE WHO DEFEND AUTOCRACY AND THOSE WHO DEFEND DEMOCRACY"

Because those who participate in that action know that this struggle is between those who defend autocracy and those who defend democracy. Because this struggle is between the oppressor and the oppressed. Because this struggle is between the exploiter and the exploited. This struggle is between those who exploit labor and the working class whose labor is exploited. This struggle is the struggle for dignity of retirees against the heartless who, after telling retirees for years, 'Rest now, we will take care of you,' broke this social contract and provided the world's most ruthless pension, a pension of poverty, hunger, and misery.

This struggle is between those who ignore every concern in this land except for the fear of losing their own power, and the young people who are worried about their future; it is a struggle for the honor, existence, and dignity of the youth. Therefore, we have left a powerful week behind, and we are entering a new week here together where the struggle will be fought even more fiercely.

"WE ARE FACING A FOREIGN POLICY MANAGEMENT THAT DOES NOT READ THE CRISIS CORRECTLY"

Dear friends, the world is passing through a critical threshold, and as for the government's standing in the world—never mind the praise they heap upon each other in their partisan press and television channels—they act tough when they are not engaging in diplomacy, they stand tall when they are not engaging in diplomacy, and when they start engaging in diplomacy, they say, 'Sir, they are doing the right thing.' When they do a 180-degree turn, they say, 'We are fully behind them, how wonderful,' but unfortunately, we are facing a new crisis and a foreign policy management that does not read this crisis correctly.

"TURKEY HAS NOT FORGOTTEN WHAT WAS SAID"

And Turkey's helplessness, unfortunately, the government's surrender; those who have razed Gaza to the ground, those who have committed genocide there, while on one hand calling them 'bloodthirsty murderers' and on the other sitting at the same table with them for Gaza... Those who sit at the table of occupation with Netanyahu, calling it a peace table, while Trump—who says, 'The Gaza Strip is beautiful, there is no room for Palestinians here, I will sweep them into neighboring countries, I will build hotels and casinos here, there is also a lot of natural gas, I want that'—names it a peace table. And the surrender to Trump, the half-hearted, performative quarrel with Netanyahu, but when Trump was asked yesterday, he said, 'Erdoğan did a good job, I trust him. There is no problem between him and Netanyahu. They respect each other.' With these statements out in the open, the point where Turkey becomes a part of the American plan in the region...

This is Barack, the one they say 'will work with Netanyahu,' the Turkish Ambassador. This is the same Barack who, just in recent months, said, 'Trump is smart, it never occurred to me, he is giving Erdoğan what he doesn't have, and in return, he will get what he wants.' What is he giving? That Erdoğan has no legitimacy in Turkey, Obama... Trump will give him legitimacy, and in return, he will take what he wants. We are living through exactly those days. In those days, when Erdoğan went to the United States and mentioned the 'F' of Palestine before even meeting, the American Secretary of State said, 'They are begging us for a 5-minute meeting with Trump'... That is why Turkey has not forgotten what was said."

The preliminary meeting with the voter was realized by promising Turkey's rare metals and elements to Trump's son; by promising to buy 300 planes; by promising to buy expensive LNG; by imposing taxes on Chinese goods before even going; and by zeroing out taxes on American goods before even going. The surrender in the meeting where they said you are begging for 5 minutes, and that is what is happening today.

"ROGUE STATE"

71,000 Palestinians have died, and to seat Netanyahu—whom they said 'would not be there'—at a table where there are no Palestinians, and to discuss that Palestinian occupation plan with him... And to bomb the administrators of a country along with their grandchildren, children, and daughters during a meeting, without a United Nations resolution, even while conducting negotiations with them, while holding talks in London, leaving on Friday and saying to them on Monday, 'Tell us your thoughts, tell us your red lines,' and then making the decision for this meeting—this is tyranny, this is a lack of conscience, this is a rogue state.

"IF 150 CHICKS DIED, YOU WOULD BE UPSET AND LOOK AFTER THEM"

We have objections to Iran's administration, its form of government, and what is happening in Iran. We have a determination and a stance regarding a democratic Iran, where Iranians should decide the future of Iran. But neither in South America, nor in the Middle East, nor anywhere else, should one go and carry out a massacre based on the decision of a single person, without the international community, without a United Nations resolution, and even without the decision of one's own country's senate, and kill so many civilians... If 150 chicks died, it would be a tragedy, a real tragedy! You would be saddened if 150 chicks died. 150 young girls have died in American bombardments, and no one is looking back, thinking about it, or questioning it.

"ERDOĞAN IS PART OF A NEW AMERICAN PLAN TODAY"

They turn around; praise for Trump, collaborations with Netanyahu through Trump... And this is not the first time. This Sunday, two days ago, I was with the surviving heroes of our 22nd term parliamentary group. They are the ones who remember Erdoğan, who promised the Americans in the US—while he was still the head of his party but not yet Prime Minister—that he would bring a motion to parliament on March 1st to say, 'Let 69,000 American soldiers come to Turkey, let them establish 6 bases in the East and Southeast, let two ports be given to them, and let Iraq be invaded via Turkey'... Erdoğan, who put everything on the line to get that motion passed... Erdoğan, who purged the 99 AK Party members who voted 'No' after obtaining secret records when the motion failed...

Today, those who said 'No' to the March 1st motion gave us the pride of ensuring that the blood of one and a half million Muslims in Iraq did not stain Turkey's hands. The Republican People's Party group and those 99 AK Party deputies of that day saved Turkey from 6 permanent American bases. They saved the Southeast from American occupation. They saved us from the American boot going to Mersin and from there to the East and Southeast, never to leave Turkey again.

The same Erdoğan today; the Erdoğan who worked with the American administration back then and pressured his party to implement this American plan in Turkey, purging those who opposed it, is today part of a new American plan. There is no game he is setting up here, nor is he seeing the game being played. There is only a surrender to Trump—a man who is arrogant, mocks ministers, and uses a tone that, even if it is Erdoğan, pains me when directed at the President of Turkey—in exchange for receiving all kinds of concessions in return for granting him legitimacy he does not possess. Trump knows what he is doing, Netanyahu knows what he is doing, but they do not know what game they are part of and where this is evolving toward in the future.

A journalist asks; Hakan Fidan says, 'there is no immediate threat of war right now.' This is not two years ago, this is two weeks ago. There is no immediate threat of war for now. We are in control of the situation, we see it. Yet, the whole world sees what America will do when those warships, frigates, destroyers, and patrol boats arrive and make the largest buildup in history, but our Hakan Fidan does not see this.

"THEY PURGED THE MAGNIFICENT CADRES IN THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, CALLING THEM 'MONSIEURS'"

How will he see it? How will he read the region? He should read it primarily through the ambassadors in the region, right? He should read it with qualified personnel. He should read it by respecting Turkey's foreign policy experience. I say this with regret; none of our ambassadors in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia are career diplomats, none of them. Their background is SETA, their background is Ak Youth, their background is TÜGVA, their background is some other crony foundation. Their background is being a Deputy Chairman of the Planning and Budget Committee or a committee spokesperson in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. They say, 'I didn't put you on the list, let me give you a position there, a post there, go and be an ambassador.' The people who should be reading the region, conducting our diplomacy, and sending encrypted cables here every day by 12 noon regarding that country have nothing to do with the profession. They purged the magnificent cadres in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling them 'monsieurs'.

"NOT A SURPRISE TO THE WORLD, BUT A SURPRISE TO HAKAN FİDAN"

For years, we have been part of the Western alliance and a neighbor to the Soviets. We are neighbors to the Soviets by air, sea, and land. There is a foreign policy accumulation that has managed this region. The Cyprus Peace Operation was carried out in 1974, but diplomacy was used in the aftermath, and until these people came along, all the rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots in the Aegean and Cyprus were defended tooth and nail. ASALA targeted and struck them one by one; there are late martyred ambassadors who were targeted by ASALA, but there is a magnificent diplomatic tradition with a courage and accumulation that no other country in the world has been granted, which did not surrender to ASALA. He calls them 'mon cher.' He says, 'You don't know,' he says, 'I know,' but look, he knows... He knows... He says, 'There is no sudden threat of war.' The esteemed journalist says he is pleased to hear this on behalf of all of us. Then one morning they wake up and find that tons of bombs have been dropped on Iran, and 300 sorties have been flown by aircraft; it is not a surprise to the world, but a surprise to Hakan Fidan.

"THEY ARE MAKING THE COUNTRY PAY THE PRICE FOR WEAKENING TURKEY INTERNATIONALLY AS WELL"

But while the world is passing through a critical threshold and the region is turning into a ring of fire, we are still facing a mentality that creates unrest internally and hopes to benefit from polarizing Turkey. We are dealing with a government that, while disrupting social peace, does not take a principled stance abroad, yet makes the country pay the price for weakening Turkey internationally as well.

America and Israel are trying to establish a new world order where they can attack any country they want. The AK Party government does not make a sound against the Trump administration. It sits at the same table with Israel in Gaza. It does not open its mouth to respond to the humiliating approaches of the American Ambassador every day.

"WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF IRAN"

We have courageously defended the rights of all people living in our region against the plans of America and Israel, and we continue to do so. We reject all interventions by America and Israel that disregard international law and do not hesitate to target innocent civilians. We also stand against the attacks on our neighbor Iran, and we stand with the Iranian people. We offer our condolences for their losses, especially the 150 schoolgirls, and for all their losses.

"WE EXPRESS THAT TURKEY MUST ALSO BE PERSISTENT"

While we do not approve of the oppressive policies of the regime in Iran that disregard human rights, we maintain that those who should decide the future of Iran and our region are the people living in Iran and in the region. We have advocated for resolving the current crisis by returning to the diplomatic table; we are persistent on this matter and we express that Turkey should also be persistent.

"WE ONCE AGAIN INVITE ERDOĞAN TO ACT IN THIS MANNER"

The order imposed by Trump and Netanyahu cannot be the new world order. A disorder that sheds blood, excludes all institutions, and ignores all rules cannot be called a new order. For this reason, together with our political allies around the world, we object to this order and this imposed chaos. We once again invite Erdoğan to act in a way that aligns with the international community in upholding the world order—the order established after World War II to prevent a Third World War—and to refrain from providing open or covert support to those who do not respect international law.

"THEY ARE CONDUCTING AN OPERATION AGAINST TANJU ÖZCAN"

Friends, I will touch upon this shortly; Mr. Bahçeli gave an important speech today. Last week, the Speaker of the Parliament visited, and we held important evaluations with him. And we were moving toward today. As we approached today, two important developments occurred simultaneously, just two hours apart. On one side, Israel and America struck Iran, and at that very moment, we are experiencing times where it must be remembered that Turkey needs to be one, to be together, for the internal front to be strong, and for Turkey to stand tall with both its government and opposition. And while these events are unfolding, they are conducting an operation against Tanju Özcan, with whom I served in parliament for three terms, who has received more than one out of every two votes in Bolu for two terms, who scores 70-80% in satisfaction surveys, and who works for Bolu.

Tanju Özcan established a foundation in Bolu. He included the AK Party, the MHP, the tradesmen's chambers, the drivers' chamber, and all of Bolu in this foundation. He said, 'We will look after the children of Bolu without political discrimination.' Together, they turned to the businessmen and the wealthy of Bolu, including themselves, and to the chain stores that came from outside, opened branches in Bolu, and pay their taxes in Istanbul, saying, 'Support this foundation, brother.' They did this all together. And these friends are providing high scholarships to 528 poor young people from Bolu to study at university. It is a foundation in Bolu. Furthermore, this foundation, which provides scholarships to every young person from Bolu who applies, studies elsewhere, and meets the criteria, is also working together to build a nursing home in Bolu.

At the crack of dawn—normally, this Tanju Özcan works at the municipality right next to the courthouse. If you summoned him, he would give his statement; they didn't do it with a phone call, they didn't do it by having the police come to his house, but they took him into custody with a gendarmerie operation, they are going to hold him for three days, and for three days, the question asked of him, the question asked at the prosecutor's office... There is no second question: 'A penny has passed to you, you have gained an advantage'—none. 'You told companies to donate to this foundation, you told three-letter companies to donate here.' A man comes to Bolu, opens 17 branches, makes the local tradesmen miserable, bankrupts them; he earns Bolu's money, eats the cream, makes the profit, and pays his taxes in Istanbul... When you say, 'Brother, give some support to this foundation,' it becomes 'extortion through coercion.' If there is no other question asked of my mayor, if there isn't a single penny involved; if Tanju is being accused of this and if Tanju should be ashamed of this, then those who ask this question should be ashamed! I am proud of Tanju, brother, I am proud!

KARTALKAYA TRACE

The root of the main issue is here. The root of the matter is Tanju's application to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK). He filed a complaint with the HSK against the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor who carried out this operation against Tanju. The reason; you will remember the fire in Kartalkaya where babies, mothers, and fathers were burned alive... 78 people were burned alive. They were burned alive. An expert committee was quickly formed in Bolu. They worked at the hotel for three days, which was all the time they had anyway. Then they wrote an expert report. They took the expert report and wanted to submit it to the courthouse. This Chief Public Prosecutor, the person named in the complaint, said, 'Why did you write Ministry here? Delete the Ministry.' My brother, the sole authority, the sole one, is outside the borders of Bolu Municipality, within the borders of the Provincial Special Administration; the Provincial Special Administration is responsible, but the Ministry of Tourism is the primary responsible party. It is written clearly on the door. They are the ones who issued the license, and they are responsible for the inspections. 'Take this, delete the Ministry and write Bolu Municipality instead.' 'We cannot write that, it is not within municipal borders. How can we not write the Ministry? The Ministry is the sole authority.' 'Delete it.'

Then you should quit this job. One by one, I brought them out here and showed them, seven experts wrote excuse petitions and at five minutes to five on the evening of the third day when they were supposed to submit the report, they said 'I request to be excused from my duty, I request to be excused from my duty,' and then they appointed new experts from elsewhere. Because of this attitude, Tanju says: 'It is contrary to the natural flow of life for all seven experts to request to be excused from their duties within the same time frame for various excuses. The experts appointed ex officio on the day of the incident should be heard immediately, and it should be determined whether they were forced to request to be excused through pressure and suggestion. Since he caused seven experts to be dismissed at once by using his influence, this is clearly against the law, and I am filing a complaint against İbrahim Cansever,' he says.

Do you understand now? The man who carried out the operation against Tanju, who made a foundation that provides scholarships to 528 students make a donation, has both a grudge and is being defended so much from Ankara, and that is why the HSK still hasn't taken any action against him... Furthermore, there are seven separate complaints regarding the person. For example, in the fourth one, there are the actions he did not take regarding the Ministry of Tourism. For example, a company says, 'It has taken out fire insurance for this hotel,' and he says, 'One must see it to do it.' He says he does not take action against this company, he does not take action against the Provincial Special Administration, he does not take action against the Ministry of Tourism... 'Are you the one complaining? Come here, let's arrest you for the crime of receiving scholarship money from the 'three-lettered' (a reference to supernatural entities), for extortion through coercion.'

It is a municipality in Bolu that every party supports, that has reached 80% public support, that has no debt, and is managed magnificently. And if we keep him in prison in Bolu, he is someone loved by everyone from the prison warden to the guards, so that he is comfortable, you send him to Sincan, to an F-type, high-security prison, where terrorist organization members or coup plotters are kept, to a place where the law says so, even if the mayor of Bolu were to be convicted of a crime and given the maximum sentence, the time to serve is 1 year, 1.5 years, right Alima Bey? 1.5 years. He has gone and is keeping him in detention regarding this.

"HE IS PROBABLY NOT TALKING ABOUT ME WHEN HE SAYS SHAKING THE INTERNAL FRONT"

Now let me say this much. Mr. Bahçeli says - he made an important speech today - Mr. Bahçeli says: 'I wonder when some people will hope to see that if our internal front is shaken, our right and left will be filled with poisonous vermin,' he says. He is probably not talking about me when he says shaking the internal front. Most recently, to the elected mayor of Bolu... First to the mayor of Esenyurt, Turkey's largest municipality, then to the mayor of 16-million-strong Istanbul, who was elected three times in a row, to our presidential candidate, to a mayor like Zeydan Karalar of Adana - he wasn't there when he was announced earlier, he didn't hear your applause - to a mayor like Zeydan Karalar...

Every morning I wake up to Mayor Zeydan... They couldn't link him to a terrorist or criminal organization because they kept İmamoğlu inside for months by slandering even the fact that he regularly made payments for tenders given by the municipality before him, before a criminal organization was even established. Now, are we the ones breaking the internal front? Am I the one who says at every opportunity after the local elections, 'there is no winner or loser in this election, the winner is Turkey'? Or are those who cannot digest those election results, who knock on the doors of 16 of my mayors one by one every morning with police on both arms to carry out a perception operation, from Mayor Ekrem to Mayor Zeydan, from Ahmet Özer to my 16 mayors?

I didn't take this personally at all. Read it from beginning to end. Mr. Bahçeli says: 'The collaborator grandchildren of those who said let the Bulgarians take Edirne rather than Enver.' Who are those who said let the Bulgarians take Edirne rather than Enver? Who are their grandchildren? Who defends the Damat Ferits? Who defends the National Struggle?

"MR. BAHÇELİ'S IMPORTANT SPEECH SHOULD BE READ LINE BY LINE"

That is why Mr. Bahçeli's important speech today should be read line by line. Behind him, he explains what those who do not read the geography correctly versus those who do, the comrades-in-arms of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the founder of our party did and how they did it correctly; he also points out who those standing against them are, what kind of betrayal and surrender they are in, who supports those who say to the occupying forces, 'I have the power, I will go, I will deploy the navy, I will crush the Muslims,' and what mistakes their grandchildren are making today.

"WE ARE ONCE AGAIN AT A TURNING POINT IN HISTORY"

We are once again at one of the turning points of history. It was seen during the March 1st memorandum who was pro-American and who was anti-imperialist. It was seen during the War of Independence; who rolled out red carpets for the occupying armies and who crossed into Anatolia with a death warrant on their heads to wage a struggle for liberation. Now, once again, those who will stand with Palestine and say 'let no Muslim blood be shed' are separating from those who will cozy up to the occupier Trump. We are once again at a turning point in history.

That is why, while Mr. Bahçeli says 'let us strengthen the internal front,' the latest target is Tanju, and the first target was Ahmet Özer. And the entire goal is to paralyze Turkey's founding party, to make it regret its success in the local elections, and to try to block such a march by using every kind of malice, every kind of cooperation, and every kind of conspiracy so that we do not replace them in the upcoming elections.

On the other side, we have always stood in the right place; we stood against the Ergenekon-Balyoz conspiracies while others were liquidating the army, the national army, the heroic army. We have never been deceived, and we have not claimed to have been deceived by some, only to wash our hands with those shampoos and detergents and dry them off... A political movement that has been consistent throughout history; we continue to stand in the same place, the right place.

"THEY'VE BRANDISHED THE AXE AGAIN"

Mr. Numan Kurtulmuş came last week and made a polite visit. And he said: 'The CHP made very important contributions in the commission. The friends put great effort into writing a very important article regarding democratization, Article 7, into the commission. During a difficult period, the Republican People's Party entered the commission when everyone said they couldn't, stood their ground, and when the time came, defended their own decisions.' But it was at an important point. I also explained 'what we are being put through while we experience these things.'

Mr. Kurtulmuş also said as he was leaving: 'I am hosting an iftar next Tuesday evening. If you come to this iftar, if we sit around a round table, hopefully in accordance with the spirit of Ramadan, the blessed Ramadan,' he said, 'hopefully there will be democracy from now on, there will be progress, and everyone will see these.'

I swear by God, we were going to attend. We were going to go and accept that invitation to the iftar at that table at the invitation of the Speaker of the Parliament. Since a national stance is necessary, since the internal front must be strong, since Turkey is under such attack and the risks are so high, the government and the opposition, the entire opposition should be there... They've brandished the axe again, friends, they've brandished the axe again! I am going to go to iftar; I am going to Sincan Prison this evening to have iftar with Tanju!

"BRING IT ON"

Last week, last week was intense, it was difficult, I said we would be even more intense, and we will be. This meeting will take place today. Tomorrow, there will be a second district rally in Istanbul. On Thursday, the necessary preparations and work will be carried out. On Friday, we will go to Bolu, and Bolu will be roused to action. On Saturday, we will stand up for the national will in Karaman. On Sunday, in Eskişehir, from one end of Sivrihisar to the other in Eskişehir, we will share in the gratitude of women towards Atatürk on March 8th.

Until we reach this podium, neither I, nor our deputies, nor our party assembly, nor our organization will stop. Since evil has taken the bit between its teeth, bring it on! Goodness is before you, courage is before you, the Republican People's Party is before you.

On one hand, on one hand, what are they doing? Let's commit evils so that they are too busy dealing with this, too busy dealing with us, to do their own work. That is where you are mistaken. We are the party that did not close the parliament when the enemy reached Polatlı and the sounds of cannon fire reached the assembly. Despite all kinds of difficulties, despite all kinds of difficulties, we are the party that fights, resists, and works.

"WE WILL WORK WITHOUT STOPPING UNTIL THE THOUSANDTH DAY ARRIVES"

You saw it yesterday, we said a thousand-day campaign if necessary for the elections. Yesterday was our 340th day. We will work without stopping until the thousandth day arrives. Some are wondering if they will be their own candidate, saying 'I won't run if I'm going to lose.' Oh, TikToker Hakan won't do, let our boy be in his place. On the other side, the son-in-law is aspiring, on this side someone else is getting aggressive; let them be in this struggle.

"FEBRUARY INFLATION IS HIGHER THAN THE ANNUAL INFLATION OF 100 COUNTRIES"

Our candidate is clear, our staff is clear, our program is clear. We are writing our election manifesto. In the field, we are ready for the longest campaign in the history of the Republic and world political history; we have set out and are continuing. As this government, which personalizes every level of administration, tries to deepen the economic crisis at home, it falls to us to take action at this point. The figures are clear.

We are first in Europe in poverty. We are first in Europe in high inflation. We are first in Europe in high interest rates. We are first in Europe in unemployment. We are first in Europe in income and tax inequality. Yesterday, the February inflation was announced. It was 4.8% in the first month of the year. Yesterday, the 3% inflation for the short month of February was announced. This figure is higher than the annual inflation of 100 countries. I am not saying there are 100 countries in the world with lower inflation than us; I am saying there are 100 countries whose annual inflation, their 365-day inflation, is lower than our 28-day February inflation.

There are 100 countries in the world that do not face in a year the inflation we face in a month. We need to look at whether Turkey is being governed well, poorly, or terribly. There are only 3 countries in the world with higher food inflation than us. There are over 200 countries, and only in 3 of them is food inflation higher than ours. Other than that, the situation in all countries is better than ours.

They had revised inflation to 21% just last week. Two-month inflation has already reached 8%. For them to hit 21%, they would need to have 1% inflation from March through December. It is impossible; it was clear from yesterday that it would not hold. So, what is TUIK doing while this bleak picture exists? TUIK says Turkey grew by 3.6% in 2025 last year. Just as the wealth transfer to a handful of people continued while the share received by fixed-income earners, farmers, and retirees shrank, Turkey supposedly grew by 3.6%.

"YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED, NOT PROUD"

And the financial arm of the March 19 coup, Mehmet Şimşek, has boasted that the per capita national income has risen to 18,040 dollars. Look, under these conditions, a person would at least stay silent. If you are not engaging in self-criticism, if you are not ashamed, embarrassed, or apologizing for the poverty you have created this Ramadan, at least stay silent. No, he says 18,040 dollars. Look, I am announcing the 18,040 dollar national income. The minimum wage is 28,000 liras, which is 7,636 dollars annually for a minimum wage earner. A retiree gets 20,000 liras, which is 5,454 dollars annually for a retiree.

The old-age pension is 6,400 liras, which is 1,745 dollars annually for my aunt, Aunt Hanife. The disability pension is 5,100 liras, which is 1,390 dollars annually for my dear disabled brother sitting here. The orphan's pension is 4,734 liras, which is 1,291 dollars annually for this poor orphan. Add them all up: 17,516 dollars. Hey Mehmet Şimşek, the per capita national income of those whose pockets you are filling is 18,040 dollars; the total for this retiree, this minimum wage earner, Aunt Hanife, my disabled brother, and my orphan brother is 17,516 dollars. You should be ashamed, not proud; you should be ashamed!

"IF IT IS NOT IN YOUR POCKETS BUT THE AVERAGE HAS RISEN, THE MONEY IS IN SOMEONE ELSE'S POCKET"

Meanwhile, 10 years ago, the number of people receiving social assistance was 12 million; today it is 19 million. 12 million people were receiving social assistance 10 years ago, 10 years have passed, supposedly Turkey has grown, supposedly it has become wealthier, yet the number of people receiving social assistance from the state has risen to 19 million. With this figure in plain sight, they shamelessly and brazenly calculate the per capita national income for me; and they have all sorts of other excuses, like the suppressed dollar exchange rate. At least go and whisper to those you have made rich, saying 'I made you rich.' Instead, they come before those they have impoverished and say, 'I made some people rich.' Indeed, if the money is not in their pockets, in ours, or in yours, but the average has risen, then the money is in someone else's pocket.

"TAX AWARENESS IS VERY IMPORTANT"

The thing I care about most in politics is tax awareness. Because democracy is born from tax awareness. That is to say, if someone collects as much money as they want and provides services as they see fit, that is one-man rule. Objections to this began in the 1200s, reached us in the 1800s, but it was only with the Republic that the nation fully gained the right to create a budget. The budget is the state's right hand that takes and its compassionate left hand that distributes; it is the balance of this. For this reason, tax awareness is very important.

We have been explaining this for months, for years. 100 liras of tax is collected, 65 liras of which comes from indirect taxes. The factory owner and the guard at the gate pay the same tax; on electricity, water, telephone, coats, children's shoes... The total tax deducted from salaries is 23%, that is income tax; the remaining corporate tax paid by the wealthy and the earners is only 11%. We say we will reverse this, this is what tax awareness is, and while explaining these, we say this: We have the Special Consumption Tax, its original name was luxury consumption tax, then they changed it to special consumption. Today, they collect the Special Consumption Tax on kitchen gas cylinders, on nail clippers, on essential household appliances. I said it yesterday, they don't collect it on diamonds or gems. Today, they have submitted a legislative proposal; now they will also collect a 20% Special Consumption Tax on diamonds and gems.

You know that watch worth thousands of dollars that this member of parliament wears? There is no luxury consumption tax on that watch, only on its strap, on the strap. They collect luxury consumption tax on the strap, not on the watch itself. Why? The wealthy person's concern is not with the strap, but with that 10,000 or 100,000 dollar watch. Now they are introducing a tax on diamonds and gems. Introduce it, there is no harm in that, but the main thing we are saying is: Are you removing it from the kitchen gas cylinder, my friend? Are you removing it from the kitchen gas cylinder? Are you removing it from essential household appliances, from the essential expenses made for children? Or is it just because the Republican People's Party reminded you, 'let's collect it from diamonds too, we were ashamed'?

"BOTH OF THEM ARE LYING AND BOTH OF THEM ARE TELLING THE TRUTH"

Do you know what happened on the day they gave the good news that we had entered the league of high-income countries? On one hand, Mehmet Şimşek says, "we have entered the league of high-income countries," and the people look at their pockets, their wallets, and their credit card statements. On the other hand, they sent someone, the AKP group chairman, and gave him that task. He appeared before the television cameras and is submitting a legislative proposal. Naturally, a journalist following the parliament asks about the legislative proposal; the country's agenda is clear, the people's agenda is clear. He asks, "Is there a clause in this legislative proposal for the holiday bonus?" Indeed, the holiday bonus is 4,000 liras, and a legal regulation is needed to increase it. He says, "We couldn't give it, there is no money in the treasury." There was already a resource problem when giving to retirees and others, we couldn't give them anything either, we have no money. On one side, Mehmet Şimşek, who boasts that "we have entered the league of high-income countries," and on the other side, someone who says, "we cannot give money to retirees, it doesn't exist."

Retirees, both of them are lying and both of them are telling the truth. The truth is this: It is your right, but it is not there. Because they have let others eat your rights, they have let others eat them! If the total amount of money that Mehmet Şimşek divides by the number of people and mentions were not clustered, focused, and accumulated among the wealthy, there would be enough money for everyone. Politics is a matter of setting priorities. Unfortunately, unfortunately, during this government's term, let's remember; the holiday bonus for retirees was the subject of the 2015 election, the main subject. As we were heading towards June 7, we said, one month's salary as a holiday bonus for retirees. At that time, the AK Party said they would give it, the MHP said they would give it, and the DEM of that time said they would give it, but the AK Party said they would not. They lost the majority on June 7, and while heading to the November 1 election, they said, "I will give it too." On November 1, the nation gave them the majority, but we have discussed what happened there at length, and we will discuss it again.

They did not give it for two holidays in 2015, they did not give it in 2016, they did not give it in 2017, and in 2018, for the holiday before the election, they gave one thousand liras, one thousand liras. We objected at that time, saying "give one minimum wage," but they gave one thousand liras. The one thousand liras they gave could buy three quarter-gold coins back then. In 2018, the one thousand liras they gave could buy three quarter-gold coins. Today, a quarter-gold coin is 12,700 - 13,000 liras; multiply that by three, that's 39,000 liras. What does the CHP say? "It will be the minimum wage," 39,000 liras, and what does the CHP say? "One minimum wage as a holiday bonus for retirees," which is also 39,000 liras.

On one side, there is a CHP that calculates correctly and whose accounts are consistent with every commitment it makes. On the other side, if you believe TÜİK since 2018 - what is TÜİK? The Statistical Institute That Does Not Upset Mr. Tayyip - if you believe TÜİK, there has been 1059% inflation since then. In other words, the price increase on the total value of goods and services has increased 11.5 times. They increased the bonus from 1 lira to 4 liras. So, while there is 1059% inflation, they are giving a 300% increase to the bonus to be given during the holiday. When that happens, what is the result? When only one-third of what should be given is provided, the current situation emerges. Besides, the TÜİK figures are also wrong, suppressed. Under normal conditions, while you should be able to buy 3 quarter-gold coins, with this money given, you can only buy one-third of a quarter-gold coin.

Look, the first holiday bonus given could buy 3 quarter-gold coins. The calculation is clear in the presence of the whole nation, with all jewelers as witnesses on live broadcast. It could buy 3 quarter-gold coins, today the 4,000 lira holiday bonus, which they say is enough and they are not raising, buys one-third of a quarter-gold coin. They have cheated you 9 times over, 9 times! They have eaten your rights 9 times over. Let's see it this way, let's know it this way, and let all retirees wait for the ballot box together to put an end to them.

Look, such data has emerged that credit card debts are at their highest level in history and a record in the history of the Republic. Let me show this part first. One in two people's credit card debt has exceeded their salary. In other words, when this brother of mine receives his salary, he looks and sees that his credit card debt is more than the salary he received. One in two people in Turkey. Let me not forget this, let me ask at the rally tomorrow evening, it is the best public opinion research, whatever comes out, comes out clearly. There is a total credit card debt of 6.2 trillion liras in Turkey. The total debt of all our credit cards is 6.2 trillion liras. There are 4.2 million people in Turkey whose debt is in follow-up. We are at the highest figure in history, we are at our most indebted time, and the reason for this, as we talked about a few weeks ago, is this system that charges interest that even a 95% loan shark would not take.

Including 30%... Look, those who have money, put it in the bank, and live off the interest they receive from the bank are charged 18% withholding tax. 18%... They charge 30% tax from those who cannot pay their credit card debt and fall into interest. 45%, plus 30, 15%, whatever, 95%. In other words, one in every two people in Turkey today has a credit card debt higher than their salary, they cannot close it anyway, and there is a system that makes that debt grow like a snowball by adding 95% interest to it. Like a snowball... And I remind you once again of a very big bankruptcy, I remind you once again that we are on the verge of a great social outrage.

And these three-lettered ones have launched a "pay in 2 months" campaign. "Come on, buy now with credit, pay in 2 months." "TomBank, come on," it says, as if it were the Food Bank's own bank. "Pay in 2 months." They have put the prices of all products here, "buy now, pay in 2 months." We are in a country trying to spend Ramadan with such a campaign.

Let's come to one of the classics of the week. May God not grant me to step down from this podium without discussing the economy thoroughly, comparing it, and reminding Mr. Tayyip of his own words. Of course, there is also next week, the 10th of the month is coming up. You know, an AK Party politician - first he was a mobile guillotine, "well done my boy, come hang out here," look a little bit at the deputy ministry. Come on then, my boy Akın, go there and swarm against the national will of Istanbul. Then they said, "well done my boy Akın, come and take on a ministry too." It's been a month! A month has passed for his assets. Next Tuesday is the last day to submit the declaration regarding his assets. Hopefully, we will all take a look at those assets together that day. Let no one worry.

What did Mr. Tayyip say? 'If you are buying less bread than you were 3 years ago, curse me.' I have an objection here; we are not bad people like you. We do not know how to curse. My late grandmother used to say, 'A curse returns to strike the one who casts it.' We leave cursing to you; we, as a nation, are praying; we are praying for the AKP government to get off our backs. The rule is: if you are buying less bread than 3 years ago. First, we looked at bread; it's buying less. Then we looked at pita; it's buying less. Now let's look at the iftar table; my friend has calculated the iftar inflation at a restaurant. Year 2023, same restaurant; soup, rice, meat dish, salad, drink, for a family of 4.

It was 3 years ago, you could get by with 1130 TL in 2023. Today, this table is 6500 TL. 4 people, soup, rice, meat dish, salad, drink, 6500 TL. Is that right? He said whoever buys less bread than 3 years ago should curse; 1130 liras 3 years ago, 6500 liras now. Well, with the minimum wage you gave to this brother of mine, this brother could have had iftar outside with his family 8 times in 2023 with the minimum wage, but with this year's minimum wage, he can do it 4 times. Has the bread grown or shrunk compared to 3 years ago? So, has Mr. Tayyip earned the curse? But we are not cursing; we are all praying together. Mr. Tayyip will go, and abundance will return to this table!

On one side, there is a CHP that calculates correctly, is consistent in every commitment, and makes the math work.

On the other side, since 2018, if you believe the TUIK - what is TUIK? The Statistical Institute That Does Not Upset Mr. Tayyip - if you believe the TUIK, there has been 1059 percent inflation since that day. That is, the total value of goods and services has increased 11.5 times; the price hikes have been 11.5 times.

They increased the bonus from 1 lira to 4 liras. So, while there is 1059 percent inflation, they are giving a 300 percent increase to the holiday bonus. When that happens, what occurs? Since only one-third of what should be given is provided, today's situation emerges. Besides, the TUIK figures are also wrong, suppressed. Under normal conditions, you would be able to buy 3 quarter-gold coins with this money, but you can only buy one-third of a quarter-gold coin.

'THEY ATE YOUR RIGHTS 9 TIMES OVER'

Look, the first holiday bonus given could buy 3 quarter-gold coins. On live broadcast, in the presence of all jewelers, in the presence of the entire nation, the math is clear; it could buy 3 quarter-gold coins. Today, the 4,000 lira holiday bonus, which they say is 'enough, we are not giving a raise,' buys one-third of a quarter-gold coin. They fleeced you 9 times over, 9 times! They ate your rights 9 times over. Let us see it this way, let us know it this way; and for the sake of closing their books, let all retirees wait for the ballot box together.

'THIS SYSTEM THAT CHARGES INTEREST EVEN A LOAN SHARK WOULD NOT TAKE'

Look, data has emerged showing that credit card debt is at its highest level in history, a record for the Republic. Let me show you this first: One in every two people has credit card debt exceeding their monthly salary. In other words, this brother of ours looks at his salary when he receives it, and his credit card debt is higher than the salary he earned. One in two people in Turkey... Don't forget this, I'll ask about it at the rally tomorrow evening; the best public opinion poll is the one that reveals the truth as clear as day.

There is a total of 6.2 trillion liras in credit card debt in Turkey. The total debt on all our credit cards is 6.2 trillion liras. There are 4.2 million people in Turkey whose debt is in follow-up. We are at the highest figure in history, at our most indebted time. And the reason for this, as we discussed a few weeks ago, is this system that charges 95 percent interest, a rate that even loan sharks wouldn't dare to charge.

Within this, look; those who have money, put it in the bank, and live off the interest they receive from the bank are taxed at 18 percent. 18 percent. They charge 30 percent tax to those who cannot pay their credit card debt and fall into interest. 45 percent, plus 30, plus 15, and so on... 95 percent! So, today, one in every two people in Turkey (since their credit card debt is higher than their salary) cannot pay it off anyway, and there is a system that makes that debt grow like a snowball by adding 95 percent interest to it. Like a snowball! And I remind you once again that we are on the verge of a massive bankruptcy and a major social outcry.

"WE ARE IN A COUNTRY TRYING TO GET THROUGH RAMADAN WITH SUCH A CAMPAIGN"

And these 'three-letter' retailers have launched a 'pay in two months' campaign. Pay in two months... Come on, buy now on credit, pay in two months. They say, 'Come on, Tom Bank,' as if it were the bank of the food retailer, pay in two months. They have put the prices of all products here; buy now, pay in two months. We are in a country trying to get through Ramadan with such a campaign.

"WE ARE PRAYING AS A NATION; FOR THE AKP GOVERNMENT TO GET OFF OUR BACKS"

Let's move on to one of the classics of the week. May God not grant me the chance to leave this podium without discussing the economy in detail, making comparisons, and reminding Mr. Tayyip of his own words. Of course, there is also next week; the 10th of the month is approaching. You know, an AKP politician; first, he was a mobile guillotine, 'well done my boy, come hang out here, take a look at the deputy ministry.' Then, 'my boy, flock, go there and flock against the national will of Istanbul.' Then they said, 'well done my boy, come and take a seat at the ministry'... A month is passing, a month! A month since his asset declaration! Next Tuesday is the deadline for him to submit his declaration regarding his assets. Hopefully, we will all take a look at those assets together that day. Let no one worry.

What did Mr. Tayyip say? 'If you are buying less bread than you were 3 years ago, curse me.' I have an objection here; we are not bad people like you. We do not know how to curse. My late grandmother used to say, 'A curse returns and strikes the one who cast it.' We leave cursing to you. We are praying as a nation; we are praying for the AKP government to get off our backs.

The rule: If you are buying less bread than you were 3 years ago... First, we looked at bread; they are buying less. Then we looked at pita; they are buying less. Now let's look at the iftar table. Friends have calculated the iftar inflation at a restaurant. The year 2023, same restaurant: Soup, rice, meat dish, salad, drink. A family of 4. It was 3 years ago; in 2023, you would pay 1130 TL. Today, this meal is 6500 TL. 4 people; soup, rice, meat dish, salad, drink is 6500 TL. Is that correct?

He used to say, 'Let those who buy less bread than 3 years ago curse.' 1130 liras 3 years ago, 6500 liras now. Well, with the minimum wage you gave to this brother of mine; this brother of mine could have had iftar outside with his family 8 times with the 2023 minimum wage. With this year's minimum wage, he can do it 4 times. Has the bread grown or shrunk compared to 3 years ago? Did Mr. Tayyip deserve the curse then? But we are not cursing, we are all praying together: Mr. Tayyip will go, and abundance will return to this table!

SLIDING SCALE SYSTEM

I have a call to make from here. After the attack on Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the danger to tankers, the anxiety, oil prices are climbing upwards. When this happens, our diesel and gasoline, which do not fall when oil prices fall, climb when they climb. And with the hike in diesel last week, the liter price had reached 61 liras. A 6.7 percent hike is also expected for today. As my friends showed a moment ago, since it varies according to the distance to the refinery, in some of our provinces, the liter price of diesel will exceed 70 liras after 12 o'clock tonight, it will exceed 70 liras.

Our friends have worked on it; 40 percent tax is collected from diesel. You know, in the past, they had given up on it when it kept falling and falling and there was nothing left; the 'sliding scale' system was applied. That is, if the price increases, to cover the increase from the SCT (Special Consumption Tax). You are already taking 40 percent, if you took 4 percent, it would neither be enough nor would anyone turn around and tell you to give up that 4 percent. You are taking 40 percent SCT on every liter of diesel.

If you are sincere in the fight against inflation, well, if diesel exceeds 70 liras tonight, won't everything from the lettuce coming to the market to the bread coming to the grocery store, from the diesel of the bakery where the bread is baked to the truck carrying it, to the trucker carrying the lettuce, be subject to price hikes from A to Z? When it comes, won't inflation attack once again?

Therefore, be sincere and wise in the fight against inflation... I mean, you are neither wise nor sincere. If you want to do the right thing in the fight against inflation, the most correct thing is to start with tonight's hike and bring the sliding scale system back to life, not to hike fuel prices, and to cover this from the SCT. This is the joint proposal of the Republican People's Party's economists, deputies who understand this issue, those working in the Central Administration Office, and members of the Central Executive Board.

When we are in power, we propose not to make this hike tonight, as it could be covered by the already high SCT collected through the sliding scale system during these fluctuations. Anyone who loves their country, who does not want everything from A to Z to be hiked, and who actually thinks of their own interests and does not want to be harmed in the fight against inflation, will implement this. If you go your own way, we will see each other again in next month's inflation figures.

"THE MOST INCOMPETENT, MOST UNSUCCESSFUL MINISTER OF NATIONAL EDUCATION IN AK PARTY HISTORY"

We have many topics, we have much pain. As you know, there is a Minister of National Education who deals with everything except education. There are hygiene problems in schools, nutrition problems, and security problems. When we mention these, when we talk about security problems, he doesn't hear it; when it comes to hygiene, we try to install water dispensers in schools, and he tries to prevent it. They collect money from parents for hygiene problems; we say don't do that, let our municipality clean it, but they won't let us in. He is the most incompetent, most unsuccessful Minister of National Education in AK Party history, who supposedly thinks of the AK Party and politics, not the students... Although the competition is fierce here, I truly have very valuable brothers among the former ones as well. But when I say very valuable, I mean it in the sense of being precious, let there be no misunderstanding.

"AN EDUCATOR WHO REBELLED AND WARNED A YEAR AGO, SAYING 'WE HAVE NO LIFE SAFETY IN SCHOOLS'"

In Istanbul's Çekmeköy district, our biology teacher Fatma Nur Çelik lost her life in the prime of her youth at the age of 44 due to a knife attack by a student. She was an educator who had rebelled and issued warnings a year ago, saying, 'We have no life safety in schools.' As the child of two retired teachers, I extend my condolences to all teachers, regardless of their views, to the family, and to our nation.

"THE MINISTER, WHO IS PURSUING DIVISION AND POLARIZATION THROUGH RELIGION, DOES NOT HEAR, AND EVEN IF HE DOES, HE DOES NOT ACT"

Those who do not protect the nation from poverty, do not protect women from violence, do not protect young people from drugs, and do not protect them from falling into the nets of criminal organizations have now become unable to even protect the lives of their teachers at school. The Minister, who is pursuing division and polarization through religion, does not hear, and even if he does, he does not act. Anyway, there is no one left asking them to do anything.

"65 THOUSAND SPECIALIST SERGEANTS WILL SERVE IN SCHOOLS"

However, just yesterday, while counting 'What will we do in National Education when we come to power?', I listed this. There is a need for 65 thousand security guards for safety in schools. We are announcing it here; we have specialist sergeants serving in the army. The state has a commitment to them; 'After working for 7 years, you can leave and be assigned to an official institution.' They are all queuing at the doors of our municipalities. We hire them as municipal police whenever we have the opportunity, but there is no way to accommodate those leaving their duties after seven years to move to another public institution through municipalities; it has reached saturation. Still, we hire them at every opportunity.

But I am telling all specialized sergeants here, and all parents; it will be included in the Republican People's Party's program, government program, and election promises; 65,000 specialized sergeants will be employed as security personnel in schools to counter such situations, drugs, and violence. Our specialized sergeants already have training, they will receive further training on this subject, and they will have excellent uniforms. We will all feel at ease; there is a place here for our selected, well-dressed specialized sergeants who know how to communicate with students and act as a deterrent against crime.

Furthermore, in many other areas where there is no security—that is, until we create streets where a woman does not feel uneasy about the footsteps following her—employment opportunities will be opened for specialized sergeants wherever security is needed.

"THEY ARE TRYING TO CREATE TENSION"

Today is March 3rd, the anniversary of the adoption of the three revolutionary laws that form the foundation of the principle of secularism in Turkey. We are in the 102nd year of the Law on Unification of Education, the abolition of the Caliphate, and the abolition of the Ministry of Sharia and Evkaf.

Our Shadow Minister of National Education, our members of the National Education Commission, and our policy board members were in Parliament today. They met with unions organized in the field of education, non-governmental organizations, and academics. Our group is currently honored by the presence of 70 of our teachers, and our colleagues are accompanying them.

Today is a very precious day because we are remembering the value of a principle that envisions the Republic acting equally and justly toward all religions and all identities. Seeing what those who attacked that principle for years did—only to then cling to Atatürk's portraits after July 15th, those who promoted people without looking at their merit just because they said, 'His forehead touches the ground in prayer, he is loyal to us,' and those who moved from the FETÖ-owned provincial headquarters in İzmir to another location overnight and hung up an Atatürk portrait—are now trying to attack by stirring up the emotions of Ramadan, alienating one side of society, and creating polarization through children, and they are trying to create tension from this.

"THERE IS SOMETHING SLIPPING AWAY, AND THAT IS THE POWER OF RECEP TAYYİP ERDOĞAN AND THE AK PARTY"

Let them know this; we are aware of the exploitation during the holy month of Ramadan and the conspiracy they are trying to orchestrate. They should not try to divide the nation. We stand for freedom of belief, and we stand behind all the gains of the Republic like a rock, like a rock!

Let everyone know that the Republican People's Party is the guarantor of both freedom of religion and conscience and the principle of secularism. Defending the principles of the Republic is not a crime. We will not give any opportunity to anyone's rhetoric that 'religion is being lost.' Because we will not allow religion to be lost, nor freedom of belief to be restricted, nor the children of this country to be polarized for the sake of someone's agenda. There is something being lost, and that is the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party.

"EVIL KNOWS NO BOUNDS, EVIL IS ATTACKING"

Dear friends, I said it a moment ago; we are in the midst of a coup process. On the third day of the third month of 2006, we are living in an environment where we do not know what will happen in the world or in the country three hours later. Evil knows no bounds, evil is attacking. But we are standing against it with great determination, courage, fortitude, and both effort and strength.

We are in a coup process since March 19, where trust in the judiciary has fallen to 18% and the Turkish economy has lost 160 billion dollars. In fact, we have been dealing with this coup since October 30, 2024. When the first steps of this coup were taken, in Esenyurt, which is Turkey's largest district—which had a population of over one million when we won it, and 90,000 when we lost it—they asked Ahmet Özer one morning, 'How could you take Esenyurt from us?'... In those days, when the atmosphere was different, they humiliated his Kurdish identity, saying, 'How could you take such a district, Ahmet Özer,' and put him first in detention and then in the Silivri dungeons. He put up a firm fight. He said, 'I am innocent,' he said, 'My crime is winning this district,' he said, 'My crime is serving.' He said, 'They asked me for Esenyurt's assets, I didn't give them; I didn't suit their interests, they are attacking me.' They attacked one morning.

He spent over a year in prison, he did not bend, he did not break. He has been released for 111 days. Since his release, he has been trying to contribute to Turkey's peace and democracy, and also (though they didn't allow it last time) to the prison he entered; there is a very interesting situation, this Ahmet Özer-Silivri relationship is truly a story for a book. They put the elected man inside, he said he would get out, they didn't let him out for a year; now Mayor Ekrem wants to visit, he says he will enter, they still don't allow it.

Now he is both taking care of his friends and family, but on the other hand, he cannot walk on the streets of Esenyurt. Because everyone says, 'You are out now, you must return to your duty.' He applied for reinstatement, but there is an unbelievable situation in Esenyurt. Why? While the district governor is appointed as a trustee where there is one, and the provincial governor is appointed as a trustee (though none should be appointed), they told the Esenyurt district governor, 'You cannot do it.' They made the Beyoğlu District Governor the Deputy Governor of Istanbul for one night, and the next morning they sent him to Esenyurt as a trustee.

"THEY ARE PURSUING SUCH A BUSINESS SO THAT 'CHP DOES NOT PRACTICE SUCCESSFUL MUNICIPALISM'"

It is such a strange, such a bizarre organism that he had his own name written everywhere as 'Esenyurt Mayor.' I haven't seen a trustee picture anywhere; he had posters printed, billboards covered. He had 500,000 forks, knives, and spoons made to be distributed during Ramadan, and had his own name written on them. Trustee, trustee! He had his own name written. The elected official of Esenyurt is on shoulders in Esenyurt; the appointed official of that municipality is sitting there, trying to win the hearts of the people by distributing 500,000 spoons. The people don't even greet him. AK Party members say, 'He has become a trouble for us.' Let Ahmet Özer return, let us compete. There is someone there playing mayor with the power of the state. Furthermore, he has transferred the multi-billion lira plots of land that Ahmet Özer refused to give—when they said 'give them in exchange for tax debt,' he said, 'How can I give them, is Esenyurt's property my father's?'—to this foundation, to that foundation, and distributed them there for free. Like an occupying army. So that there is nothing left when he arrives. Whatever the mindset that burned İzmir while leaving, the trustee of Esenyurt is pursuing such a business so that 'it doesn't remain for Ahmet Özer after me, and CHP does not practice successful municipalism.'

"WE ARE GIVING YOU A HEAD START, FACE US"

The petition is right there in front of the Minister of Interior. While Mr. Bahçeli says 'Ahmet, to duty,' and they don't believe in Esenyurt, we say it clearly here: Let's put a ballot box out this Sunday. If 75% of the people in Esenyurt, including AK Party and MHP voters, don't vote for reinstatement, then we don't know anything. In fact, you cannot keep this trustee there, you just can't... Suppose you decided to keep them. Well then, come on, Mr. Tayyip, come on. Why are you the one making the decision in a democracy, why should I be the one making it? Let's put out the ballot box, let's have all our Esenyurt Municipal Council members resign; let's put out the ballot box, my candidate is Ahmet Özer. Go ahead, put your spoon-wielding, fork-wielding trustee in there... Are we giving a 100,000-vote lead, Mr. Mayor? A 150,000-vote lead! I'll add another 50,000, we're giving you a 150,000-vote head start, come and face us! Let's see.

"IF THE NATION ELECTS SOMEONE AND A COUP-PLOTTER REMOVES THEM, THE NATION WILL ELEVATE THEM TO A HIGHER OFFICE AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY"

I say it once more: "To err is human." You can be stubborn with a sibling, you can be stubborn with a spouse, you can be stubborn with anyone; but you cannot be stubborn with the nation!

If Esenyurt says "Ahmet Özer," you will not be stubborn. If Adana says "Zeydan Karalar," you will not stand against this will. Every day that Zeydan Karalar is not reinstated is a shame for Adana, a political loss for the AK Party, and a gain for the CHP.

As the nation sees these injustices, it does not swallow them and it does not forget them. It waits for its day. This nation waits for the ballot box to be placed before it to establish justice. Until that day, the more you anger Adana, the heavier the price you will pay at the ballot box.

I am speaking to the sensible people in the AK Party: You say, 'Let someone go, let a few of you go and explain it' to the Gentleman; explain it! Say, "Didn't we go to prison for a poem, and didn't our story start there?" Say, "When obstacles were placed in front of Abdullah Gül, didn't the nation embrace us all of a sudden?"

Tell them; we did the opposite. On March 31, we turned our noses up at a 13,600-vote lead, and 45 days later, we suffered an 806,000-vote defeat. While suffering that defeat, we made the election neck-and-neck at 806,000, and in the next election, we made it 1.5 million. The nation does not like those who act arrogantly, who resist its decisions, or who meddle with those it has elected. Because it is coup-plotters who meddle with those the nation has elected. If the nation elects someone and a coup-plotter removes them, the nation will elevate them to a higher office at the first opportunity. It will do this at the first opportunity.

To Mr. Tayyip, from here, on this blessed day of Ramadan... If we had met at the same iftar table this evening, but he brandished the axe; he stirs up conflict every time so that the unity and solidarity desired by this nation does not happen. If we had met at the iftar table this evening, perhaps I would have explained it there, but let me explain it from here now. My final word is this, this is what I will tell:

On this blessed day of Ramadan, the lesson to be learned is this: You had cancelled the Istanbul elections. We were divided into three groups of deputy chairmen. The second district fell to me. I go to two or three districts every day, working with the deputies from our group. We were in the Fatih district that day. We were visiting shopkeepers. I walked inside; there was a radiant-faced Hacı uncle with a snow-white beard and a skullcap.

"Peace be upon you."

"And peace be upon you, Özgür Efendi," he said.

He smiled like that. He twisted his mustache in such a way, he laughed so much; I said, "This Hacı uncle knows me, he knows everything." I was about to start talking immediately; "Well, you know, the elections happened, dear Hacı uncle," and so on...

"Wait, wait," he said, "Özgür Efendi, look," he said. Now there is a new one, he said, pointing to an electronic scale. "But," he said, "your Hacı uncle weighed with this for 40 years," he said. In the back, on the floor, there was a yellow-pan equal-arm balance... The pans had become crooked. He said: "Your Hacı uncle weighed beans with this for years, chickpeas, wheat, semolina. Do you know how this comes into balance?"

I said, "I am a pharmacist."

"Ha, when it came into balance," he said, "your Hacı uncle threw a little more beans on that side, a little more chickpeas," he said.

"Why?" he asked.

I said, "Why?"

He said: "So that no one is wronged."

"Now look, let me tell you, Mr. Özgür," he said.

"Go ahead, Uncle Hacı," I said.

"I," he said, "have voted for Mr. Tayyip ever since he appeared on the scene. I will vote for him," he said.

"Vote for him, Uncle Hacı," I said.

"To whom," he said, "I gave it before, I will give it again."

I said, "Give it, Uncle Hacı."

He said, "To Mr. Binali," he said, "I gave it to Mr. Binali."

I said, "That's fine, Uncle Hacı."

He said, "Next time, whoever they nominate, I will give it to them."

I said, "Alright, Uncle Hacı."

But he said, "This time, this time I will give it to Ekrem."

I said, "Why, Uncle Hacı? Why?" I asked, Uncle Hacı.

He said, "My child, justice was denied, justice was denied," he said. "Justice was denied."

The hope of this country does not lie in the conscience of Mr. Tayyip. The hope of this country lies in the conscience of the elderly uncle in Fatih who serves just the right amount of beans to every customer so that no one is cheated, and who has set aside two truckloads of beans over 40 years just to ensure fairness; that is where the hope lies, the same conscience that brought justice to the Istanbul elections.

Greetings to that elderly uncle. May his Ramadan be blessed. May the path be clear for us all. We will bring rights, law, and justice. We will govern this country together with justice. I offer my respects to you all.

News Source: 12punto