First statement from CHP regarding Murat Kurum's candidacy: 'The minister who signed the zoning amnesty'

CHP Group Deputy Chairman Gökhan Günaydın made statements at a press conference held at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). Evaluating Murat Kurum's candidacy for the AKP's Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) mayoral bid, Günaydın said, "Although it is a delayed announcement, let us say good luck to them."

HE REMINDED ERDOĞAN OF HIS 'BETRAYAL' REMARKS

Günaydın continued as follows:

"So, why was the name Murat Kurum announced? We see from the statements that they say, 'Istanbul has two major problems: one is urban transformation, the other is transportation.' Therefore, Murat Kurum is being appointed to be the remedy for urban transformation and transportation problems. If they do not think our memory is like a bird's, let us all remember. In 1994, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became mayor. And he managed Istanbul for 4 years and 7 months. Then, he managed the country for 21 years uninterruptedly as prime minister and president. This means the fate of Istanbul, which he calls his 'beloved Istanbul,' has been in the hands of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for at least a quarter of a century. So, during these 25 years, did Istanbul evolve toward a more comfortable point in transportation, or did the building stock become safer and transform into a more protected city? Let us give the answer we will provide in Erdoğan's own words. Because the words 'We betrayed Istanbul, we allowed vertical construction in Istanbul' are Erdoğan's own words."

"We are talking about an Erdoğan economy that buried Turkey in concrete at the hands of the construction lobby," said Günaydın, adding, "For such a structure to talk about moving Istanbul to a better point in the field of urban transformation after such a poor track record is almost a tragicomic situation."

"THE MINISTER WHO SIGNED THE ZONING AMNESTY..."

Evaluating Murat Kurum, Günaydın said, "Let us come to Murat Kurum's situation... Murat Kurum served as the Minister of Environment and Urbanization between 2018 and 2023. Is there any single positive activity that Murat Kurum has done for Istanbul during this period? There are TOKİ victims left behind within the framework of rhetoric such as 'we will build 100 thousand houses, we will build 1 million houses'."

Finally, Günaydın stated the following:

"Even though 1 year has passed since the February 6 earthquake, the rate of houses that could be delivered is not even 4 percent. We all remember that Murat Kurum went down in history as a minister who signed the zoning amnesty in 2019. And unfortunately, we also remember the houses that became coffins for our citizens within the framework of this zoning amnesty."

News Source: 12punto