Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin comments on the CHP

Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin visited his hometown of Erzurum for the Eid al-Adha holiday, where he stopped by his party's provincial headquarters to make statements regarding the current agenda. The visit was attended by members of parliament Selami Altınok, Mehmet Emin Öz, and Fatma Öncü, as well as Metropolitan Mayor Mehmet Sekmen.

While providing information on educational investments in Erzurum, Minister Tekin congratulated Erzurumspor FK on their promotion to the Super Lig and announced that the tender for the city's new stadium project would be issued after the holiday.

Touching upon the anniversary of the May 27 coup, a turning point in Turkey's democratic history, Tekin commemorated Adnan Menderes, Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, and Hasan Polatkan with mercy and expressed his wish for the strengthening of democracy in Turkey.

Speaking during his holiday visit about one of the hottest topics on the agenda, the internal crisis of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Tekin criticized the statements made by party leader Özgür Özel following the "absolute nullity" ruling against the CHP.

"If you are complaining about this situation, the situation is very clear; if Özgür Özel had called the Republican People's Party delegates who were complaining—those who claimed that there was manipulation of delegate votes during the party congress and said, 'My vote and my political preferences were interfered with'—and managed to convince them, if he had managed to convince them, meaning if he could manage a handful of people, we would not be talking about any of these things today. A party leader who cannot convince 3-5 party members, his comrades, or his fellow travelers is now trying to hold our President responsible for this entire process. There is no side to this that can be explained by reason or logic. There are no AK Party or People's Alliance political actors anywhere in this incident."

Tekin also reminded that his own political tradition comes from a struggle for democracy and that they have acted within the rule of law despite being subjected to many interventions in the past. He reiterated his criticisms that the CHP leadership reflects internal party disputes in different ways and that the party is not being managed well.

Describing the developments within the CHP as "negative signals for Turkish democracy," Tekin stated that the process creates a sad picture for the main opposition party. As an academic, he expressed his discomfort with democracy being brought to the agenda in a way where "delegate votes are put up for sale," adding, "I wish these things had not happened."

News Source: 12punto