Breaking News... Özgür Özel issues a challenge: 'They cannot appoint a trustee to the CHP, bring it on!'

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel made statements regarding the current agenda at his party's weekly parliamentary group meeting.

Özel gave clear messages regarding the investigations into CHP-run municipalities and the indictment concerning the party congress, in which 12 people, including Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, face up to 3 years in prison.

Özel reacted to the footage showing those detained in the 5th wave of operations against the İBB being taken for medical examinations. Stating that "today's victims are tomorrow's government," Özel emphasized that these actions are a 'smear campaign'.

Reacting to the indictment prepared and accepted regarding the CHP congress, Özel said, "They cannot appoint a trustee to Atatürk's party, the CHP; bring it on!"

Our Chairman Özgür Özel is speaking at our party's parliamentary group meeting. https://t.co/D45CUWPiN2

— CHP ???? (@herkesicinCHP) June 3, 2025

Key highlights from Özel's statements are as follows:

"The one-man crisis we have been experiencing since 2018 has pushed workers and the public to their limits. We are on the eve of a holiday; there is a longing for the old holidays, a need for shopping, and those with low incomes are longing for meat. We are at a point where there are very serious problems. Sacrifice means solidarity, but there are many more who cannot afford to sacrifice than those who can. We must bring meat to the tables, bring meat to poor children this Eid al-Adha, and carry out this process with even more sensitivity. The middle class of the past is now poor, and the poor are in deep poverty.

Economic conditions are affecting the most vulnerable segments of society in the most severe way. We looked at the figures, before and after the government. In 2022, a sacrificial ram was 150 TL; today, last year a ram was 15,000 TL, and the minimum wage was 17,000 TL. Today, the minimum wage is 22,000 TL, and a sacrificial ram is 25,000 TL.

The holiday bonus for retirees was announced as good news. In 2018, one could buy a ram with a 1,000 TL bonus; today, the retiree bonus only buys 4 kilos of meat. This is the situation retirees have reached.

According to TÜİK, inflation is 15.1, but according to ENAG, it is 24 percent. According to TÜİK, annual inflation is 35, and according to ENAG, it is 71 percent. But everything is calculated according to the figures announced by TÜİK. DİSK applied to the court; it used to be understood what TÜİK based its calculations on, but today it is unknown. DİSK went to court and won, they did not implement it, they went to the appellate court, the court approved it, but TÜİK still has not explained how it calculates it.

We went to DİSK and TİSK regarding an interim raise for the minimum wage; everyone says the worker is miserable. An inflation adjustment must be made to the minimum wage. Why? There is an election, everyone is thinking, voting. You govern this country with the vote you received from the nation until the next election. What did they say before the election? 'Since inflation has reached double digits, an interim raise is necessary, in fact, since inflation is high, it should be done 4 times,' they said. This nation had not decided in the first round anyway. In the second round, they voted with a small margin. They did not give a 1 kuruş raise in the year after the election. Now they made it 22,000, and that is according to the target inflation; they should have made it 26,000, they made it 22,000. Now they intend not to make an interim raise in July. This is outright exploitation of the minimum wage earner's sweat.

A flat raise for retirees and an interim raise for minimum wage earners are essential!"

"SMEAR CAMPAIGN"

Özel reacted to the footage taken and circulated while the mayors and municipal bureaucrats detained within the scope of operations against CHP-run municipalities were being taken for medical examinations in the morning hours.

"76 days have passed since the March 19 coup, 76 days. They could not prove any of the slanders they threw at Mayor Ekrem. Every time a new wave, new innocent people. Separating those they put inside, taking them 500 kilometers away from their mothers, 300 kilometers away from their children. Putting a young woman in a place where 50 people of a certain crime type are staying and their sentences are being carried out, tormenting her there, then calling her and saying, 'Do you miss your children? Come on, go home from here, sign this!' and forcing her into slander. Keeping them inside, seizing their property. 'If you don't throw this slander, it won't work. Sign it, take the company, continue to enter tenders. Otherwise, you will lie inside for 20 years,' they say. We are in such a process. Our Avcılar Mayor is 30-year-old, brilliant Utku Caner Çaykara. Our Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor, our district chairman who won Gaziosmanpaşa, which was said to be unwinnable, our brilliant brother Hakan Bahçetepe. Our Mayor Hasan Akgün, whom Büyükçekmece has not been able to give up for 30 years, whom we told to retire because he is older, has great experience, and high energy, but Büyükçekmece did not let go. Adana's female mayor Oya Tekin, Ceyhan's young mayor Kadir Haydar, our party assembly member... Our friend Baki Aydöner, with whom we sat and worked in the party assembly just last Friday. When it comes to fighting corruption, when it comes to announcing a corruption file, my brother Aykut Erdoğdu, the former term deputy whom every party in this Parliament respects. They went. At the crack of dawn, whichever one they call, 'Where is Utku going to run away?'

The Mayor of Avcılar, 30 years old. The question I will ask, the man said: 'I helped the district presidency during the election campaign, I rented a vehicle, etc.' There are such words. There is no proof, but I will explain in a moment. When he hears this, what will Utku do, will he cross the Bulgarian border? His young wife, his marriage witness there, his whole team there, his friends there, his dreams there, his future there. Forcing the door at the crack of dawn, shouting, yelling, in front of the neighbors, searching everything of a newlywed family. They held our friends for 4 days this morning. Doctor's check, from there to the Courthouse. The judge will decide."

'DONATION' FROM THE PALACE TO AKP MUNICIPALITIES

Özel stated that tenders made during the AKP years were not included in the operations against municipalities. Özel also listed the controversial tenders in AKP-run municipalities one by one.

Reminding of the 45 million TL 'donations' made from the Presidential budget to AKP-run district municipalities in Istanbul, Özel said:

"Esenler Municipality, the donation amount foreseen in the 2024 budget is 80, but the realized amount is 184 million TL. The CHP member in the audit commission wants to see the document, but the document is not shared by saying 'It is confidential'. In Çekmeköy Municipality, our mayoral candidate in the elections is elected with 50 percent. We are also looking at previous terms. We found it in Çekmeköy, we learned that it is in all municipalities in power except one.

February 7, 2024, the 45 million donation offer made to Çekmeköy Municipality by the Presidency Strategy and Budget Directorate was accepted. They have donated 45 million TL each from the Presidency to all AKP-run municipalities in Istanbul. There is none for any CHP-run municipality, and there is none for the MHP-run Silivri Municipality. This money has been sent to all AKP-run municipalities.

CONTROVERSIAL TENDERS

They send handcuffs to our friends on the grounds that they received help. They receive 45 million TL from the state themselves. They send the money collected with the taxes of CHP supporters to AKP-run municipalities. All of these have been spent on the election campaign. Kağıthane Municipality invented a bag tender. 183 items of goods and services in a single bag, cannot give partial bids. One company gives all 183 at once. They are looking for a company that does vehicle rental, wrestling tournament, almanac printing, sausage festival all at the same time. The tender was won by the company of Fatih Bolcan, the son-in-law of AKP Deputy Mustafa Baş. 29 tenders from Zeytinburnu, 43 million in 20 tenders from Fatih, 14 tenders from Kağıthane."

"BRING IT ON"

At the end of his speech, Özel addressed the threats of appointing a trustee to the CHP as follows:

"I say it clearly from here, we are here with our party assembly, our 81 provincial chairmen, and our 2 million members, bring it on. We will not hand over Atatürk's party to anyone with judicial games, we are here. Bring it on! Our 2 million members will stand against any candidate who comes to Atatürk's party without an election. We are here. We tell friend and foe that we will win, we will not surrender. Bring it on, bring it on, bring it on!"