CHP Chairman Özgür Özel makes statement! 'We are waiting for the nation itself at the rally!'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made a statement at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM).

Here are the highlights from Özel's statement:

"He told our esteemed chairman whose name was mentioned, Mansur Yavaş, to wait and that he would not enter the primary election. He contributed to the primary election process.

They embarked on this path with the psychology of never having been able to defeat Ekrem İmamoğlu. They are staging a coup against Turkey's next President. Coups are usually staged against the government, but they are staging a coup against their own rival to avoid relinquishing power.

They canceled a diploma issued 31 years ago, and the next morning they detained İmamoğlu and 106 of our colleagues, held them for 4 days, and arrested them on the day of the primary election. We had sensed this attempt beforehand. We objected to it that day. We fought for a week in Saraçhane."

The March 19 coup attempt was repelled and suppressed by our nation on March 23 in 81 provinces and 973 districts.

While Tayyip Erdoğan was in an unknown location on the evening of July 15, I called all the AK Party contacts I knew and said, 'Let's open the Parliament; we stand behind the elected officials against the coup plotters.' We saved Erdoğan from the Fethullahist coup in Parliament. Unfortunately, that same Erdoğan is now leading and managing a coup attempt, and it has been repelled by our nation.

"THEY HAVE REPELLED THE COUP ATTEMPT"

With the democracy revolution our citizens brought about on March 23, they have brought the Turkish spring to life and repelled the coup attempt.

I am here to announce to you the result that was declared with applause a little while ago. In the elections held on March 23, İmamoğlu became the winner of the primary election with a total of 15 million 497 thousand 957 votes. With all valid votes cast, he was voted on by the Party Assembly (PM) to be reported to our parliamentary group as the candidate, and was sent to our deputies with the unanimous vote of the PM. As a result of the closed ballot, having received all the votes cast by our 132 colleagues, İmamoğlu was determined as the CHP candidate and it was decided that he be nominated.

From now on, we are organizing a rally at 12:00 on Saturday, not as a party rally, but a rally where we demand freedom for our presidential candidate and where the nation declares its presidential candidate. We want to experience together that we are on the eve of a great democracy festival on the eve of the holiday. We say, 'To those going on vacation, go a day late, let's experience the democracy festival all together.'

"WE ARE WAITING FOR THE NATION ITSELF AT THE RALLY"

Ekrem İmamoğlu will resolutely overcome the injustice of whoever acted unjustly. We expect all political parties, unions, and NGOs to honor this great beginning. We are waiting for the nation itself at this rally that belongs to the nation. This call is to all of Turkey, to all parties..."

REACTION TO ERDOĞAN'S WORDS

Reacting to the words of AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Özel said, "He had said, 'The biggest radish is in the bag.' On the day he said the biggest radish is in the bag, a secret witness testified. You know how the MASAK report turned out to be empty, how the interrogation turned out to be empty, the terror allegations all turned out to be empty. Now they are embarrassed in front of the nation. Yesterday he came out and started talking about new radishes again. Friends, there are no radishes!"

In his statement, Özgür Özel said, "We convey our most heartfelt feelings of solidarity to Sözcü TV. This evening, the group deputy chairmen will make a statement in front of RTÜK."

News Source: 12punto