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Breaking News: CHP Chairman Özgür Özel begins march to Anıtkabir! 'It is the first step of the march to power'

The new situation in the CHP following the absolute nullity decision led to two separate holiday celebration programs in Ankara on the eve of Eid al-Adha. While a program to be attended by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was being prepared at the CHP Headquarters, Chairman Özgür Özel met with party members and citizens at Güvenpark. As crowds gathered at Güvenpark before the celebration, slogans were chanted in favor of Özel, and a poster of Özgür Özel was hung on the Ankara Provincial Headquarters building. CHP leader Özgür Özel was seen accompanied by ABB Mayor Mansur Yavaş as he arrived at the event area. Addressing the citizens, Özgür Özel said, "We are not the CHP that is used to losing, we are the winning CHP. We are not appointed, we are the elected CHP." Declaring, "It is the first step of the march to power," Özgür Özel began a march to Anıtkabir.

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Holiday celebration programs in the Republican People's Party (CHP) will be held at two different locations in Ankara this year.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was brought to the position of CHP Chairman by a court decision, will celebrate the holiday with party members at the CHP Headquarters at 14:00. At the same time, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel will meet with citizens at a gathering to be held at Güvenpark.

CROWD FORMS AT GÜVENPARK

A large number of citizens gathered at Güvenpark before the celebration program. While security measures were taken in the area, it was observed that many police teams were on duty in the region.

Participants supporting Özgür Özel chanted, "Free future, free Turkey" slogans. It was observed that the crowd began to increase hours in advance and the program area was filled.

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL POSTER AT ANKARA PROVINCIAL HEADQUARTERS

While participation in the gathering at Güvenpark continued, it was seen that a poster of Özgür Özel was hung on the CHP Ankara Provincial Headquarters building.

On the other hand, it was stated that participation was provided by buses from surrounding provinces for the celebration program at the CHP Headquarters, which Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will attend.

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL AND MANSUR YAVAŞ AT GÜVENPARK

CHP's elected chairman Özgür Özel arrived at Güvenpark together with ABB Mayor Mansur Yavaş.

'TRAITOR KEMAL' SLOGANS WHILE YAVAŞ SPEAKS

While Mansur Yavaş was speaking, "Traitor Kemal" slogans were chanted. Yavaş had to pause his speech for a short time due to the noise rising from the crowd.

Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş stated the following in his speech:

"My dear fellow citizens, first of all, I celebrate your holiday with my most sincere wishes. Holidays are exceptional times when resentments decrease, solidarity gains strength, people listen to each other better, and can meet on common values. A holiday is unity, solidarity, and being able to come together at the same table. It is being able to believe in a common future despite our differences. It is precisely on such days that I see it as a responsibility to share some issues regarding the process our country and our party are going through. After we took office in 2019, after 25 years of local government..."

After we took office in 2019, after 25 years of local government, we worked believing that we could prove what kind of management system is possible with the activities we would carry out, that the country could be managed without corruption, and that the government could only be changed in this way. However, as you know, we did not get the result we hoped for in the elections held in 2023. Later, there was a change in the party in the elections held, and after the local elections, the party reached 38 percent of the vote for the first time, and we won many municipalities. In Ankara, with your support, we saw that the work we did was approved by receiving over 60 percent of the vote. Now, what falls to us is; at a time when the economy is so bad, while people can barely find bread to eat, cannot find work, and students have lost hope for the future, a hope was born for the first time, the hope of changing the government. We convinced people that better management could be done through local governments.

"THESE ATTEMPTS TARGET TURKEY'S DEMOCRATIC ACCUMULATION"

And I said this in all my speeches: I wanted everyone who wants this government to change from top to bottom, who wants the government to change, who believes in the rule of law, who believes in democracy, to come together and be like a fist. As a result, we worked to change the government and return to a parliamentary system, to turn the law into a form that everyone trusts, and for all people in Europe to have the right to live humanely, whatever their rights are. A hope emerged, and the government saw this too. And when it saw this, it started working to divide the party. As a result... As a result, both the operations carried out on the municipalities and the discrediting efforts, the efforts to divide the party... I am here today because I saw it as a responsibility to share some issues for this reason. These people's hope for change, their desire to look to the future, and their belief that the country will stand up again, their hope to live in a more beautiful country, their hope to live in a more beautiful country for young people, for retirees, is far above my personal sense of loyalty. I had expressed my opinion on this matter openly before. I said that I would even quit politics rather than be in a situation that would consume people's hope. We... We... We need to... We need to green the hope of the people, not consume their hope. Because what is important is the future of this society.

We defended the unity and integrity of a hundred-year-old party founded by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. We continue to defend it with the same determination in the process we are in. Because... The Republican People's Party is not an ordinary party. It is the founding will of this country. It is one of the main supporting elements of our democracy struggle. For this reason, every attempt to weaken, discredit, and wear down the Republican People's Party through internal discussions does not only target the party. Let us know that these attempts target Turkey's democratic accumulation. They target the values of the Republic. They target social hope.

"WE ALL HAVE TO SEE THE BIG PICTURE"

My dear fellow citizens, this country was not founded under easy conditions. This republic was built with the struggles given on the battlefields, the sacrifices shown in poverty, and the common effort of our nation. This is the main reason why we insistently emphasize unity and integrity. I am calling out from here not only to Republican People's Party members; but to everyone who believes in democracy, the rule of law, and the national will. Because what we need today is not to weaken each other, but to strengthen the common democratic ground. We may think differently, we may come from different traditions. However, our common responsibility is to defend the law, protect democratic institutions, and own the national will. What Turkey needs is not a fragmented opposition; but an integrated understanding of democracy that respects each other's right to exist and can meet on common values. Because this issue has now become a matter of parties. The issue is the issue of what kind of country our children will live in. If we do not act together, we face the risk of losing not only today but also our future. Even our grandchildren will never forgive us. We all have to see the big picture. If the political space is being narrowed in Turkey, if democratic institutions are being worn down, if elected wills are being made controversial, if the law is being turned into a subject of politics, if society is being tried to be reshaped through polarization... This situation constitutes an intervention directly aimed at the Republic regime. My stance has been in favor of democracy from the beginning. For this reason, I repeat my call once again; the Republican People's Party must go to the convention again as soon as possible!

"LET'S BREAK THIS GAME TOGETHER"

Come on... Let's manage this process with common sense. Because it is clearly understood that this issue is no longer between individuals. The issue is the common expectation of millions who are devoted to the Republican People's Party and want a total change of government. Let alone division within the party, on the contrary, let's break this game by starting efforts that will bring the entire opposition together. Come on, let's continue the march to power of millions of opponents together from where we left off. This is our common responsibility. Let's not make those who sit in front of the television and giggle while the party is in this state laugh, let's break this game together!"

***

Elected CHP Chairman Özgür Özel began his speech by quoting Nazım Hikmet.

Özel read this stanza from Nazım:

"Behind us is the path of darkness like an enemy eye,

In front of us are copper bowls full of sun,

We are among friends,

We are at the table of the sun!"

The prominent headlines from Özel's statements are as follows:

"Because the CHP will come to power in the first election to be held because it defeated a partisan president, a malicious mind that holds the state in its hands is interfering with the CHP's hope for power, its hope to change the government through elections in Turkey, that is, the Republic's greatest achievement, the ballot box, and is attempting to change the chairman elected to head the CHP and make an appointment, it is bringing a trustee.

Today is the day to restart the march to power. I wish this issue were an internal party issue. This issue is not an internal issue of the CHP. This issue is the issue of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the nation. The square took what it could, it overflowed. Today we don't have a bus with a powerful sound system, we don't have a wireless microphone, yes we don't have money, we don't have a building, but you are here.

"WE ARE NOT APPOINTED, WE ARE THE ELECTED CHP"

Today, in the building taken over by the police, there is a search for legitimacy with TGRT, with A Haber, with a transported thin crowd, and on the other side, there is the nation itself. On one side, there is a seized building, and on the other side, there are millions who own their party. We are the cadres who defeated the AK Party for the first time in its history. We are not appointed, we are the elected CHP.

The AK Party knows it will not win a democratic election. It knows that the nation does not want them, and that is why they declared war on the will of the Turkish nation. The entire democratic system is under attack. Those who want to change the government are under attack. That is why all political parties that do not see this issue as a CHP issue are standing in the most correct place in history.

ELECTRICITY CUT DURING SPEECH

Özgür Özel, whose electricity was cut while he was speaking, used the expressions "They did what we expected, they cut the electricity. The generator is on, they will never be able to silence us" after the outage.

"WHICHEVER DELEGATE YOU WANT, HOLD A CONVENTION IMMEDIATELY"

Özel continued his speech as follows:

"I will never give up on the march to power. This nation has owned the founding party of Turkey and will continue to do so from now on. Those who came here today after the May 21 coup have come to write history. Even the fraction of this square is not there. This square is history itself. Diploma-less Erdoğan wants a chairman without a mandate, we will not allow this.

A convention must be held immediately. Whichever delegate you want, hold a convention immediately. The CHP does not accept appointments.

Let 2 million CHP members decide who the chairman will be, come on. Let's go to the convention with the name that comes out of there. I want a primary election for the chairmanship in the CHP. My word is my bond, if I get less than 85 percent of the vote in this election, I will not be a candidate for the position."

BEGAN MARCH TO ANITKABİR

Özel announced that they would march to Anıtkabir.

Journalists asked Özgür Özel about Kılıçdaroğlu's statement, "We will save our innocent mayors."

Özel replied, "Those who think that a result can be obtained by trusting the AK Party judiciary and negotiating with the AK Party are doing a great injustice to all our friends. To know who is innocent and who is not, first you need an impartial judiciary and you need to believe in the presumption of innocence."

Özgür Özel and Mansur Yavaş walked arm in arm to Anıtkabir.

FIRST IMAGE FROM ANITKABİR