New Welfare Party Chairman Fatih Erbakan announces the vote share his party will receive!

New Welfare Party (YRP) Chairman Fatih Erbakan met with members of the press in Bursa.

Making statements regarding the upcoming local elections, he said, "We hope to reach 550,000 members by the election. Thus, we will enter the elections as Turkey's 3rd largest political party in terms of membership. If we continue at this pace with a monthly increase of 100,000 members, we will reach our target of 1 million within a short period of 4 months after the election. Today, even political scientists, polling companies, sociologists, journalists, television personalities, and politicians other than us are saying day and night, 'The New Welfare Party will be the only party to increase its vote in these elections.' The only thing they cannot agree on is whether it will double, triple, or quadruple its votes."

"WE WILL RECEIVE 20 PERCENT OF THE VOTE"

Stating that a polling company, which had previously claimed the New Welfare Party would receive 0.2 percent of the vote, announced 7.2 percent in a poll published 2 days ago, Erbakan said, "When they said 0.3 percent, we had an election where we received nearly 3 percent of the vote. Now, if they are saying 7.2 percent, we hope to receive over 20 percent of the vote. We will win a large number of provincial and district municipalities. We hope this will ensure the beginning of a new era in Turkey."

"WE HAVE NEVER BEEN A PARTY THAT WALKS IN ANYONE'S SHADOW"

Stating that they will call right what is right and wrong what is wrong, regardless of which party the opposition or the government belongs to, Erbakan said, "What is right is not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the nation and Turkey. We will continue this stance from now on. Of course, we have never been a party that walks in anyone's shadow. The New Welfare Party is entering the elections independently with its own strength, candidates, logo, and election campaign. It is asking for the support of our nation. Therefore, we are continuing our path not in anyone's shadow, but on the line of the National View (Milli Görüş)."

"WE DID NOT SET OUT TO HELP ANYONE WIN OR LOSE"

Saying that they did not set out to help anyone win or lose, Erbakan stated, "This is the case for all other political parties as well. Then, are we going to say to the parties in the 'others' section in the polls, 'Why are you entering the election? You are of no use. Are we not letting you enter the election?' We could even take this further and say that no one other than the parties in the top two spots in the polls should be allowed to enter the election. Because they will indirectly cause someone to lose and someone to win. Can one say, 'You cannot win yourself, so do not enter the election'? There would be no democracy, pluralism, multi-voicedness, elections, or country like that. Every political party naturally enters elections with the claim of winning. It appears before the nation. Even if it is 0.1 percent. Every party that has the qualification to enter the election in every electoral district has the right to field candidates."

"MARCH 31 IS NOT A SURVIVAL ELECTION"

Erbakan, who announced his support for AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shortly after announcing his candidacy in the May elections, said, "Right now, there is no situation where one would say, 'We are competing in an alliance. Let us not compete with them alone. You support us too.' In Istanbul, all of the Nation Alliance are fielding separate candidates. Therefore, there is no condition that there must be a unity on this side as well. We made such a decision in line with the wishes of both our nation and our organization, and also in line with the reality that this is not a survival election."

News Source: İHA