Breaking News: Özgür Özel makes statement regarding Ekrem İmamoğlu's 'Fool Case'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel is traveling to the US today to attend the Socialist International Presidium meeting.

Making statements before his US trip, Özel said that Ensar Aytekin will serve as acting chairman during his time in the US.

Stating that they plan to return to the country on September 27, Özel said, "At the very beginning of our visits, we are holding the Socialist International meeting in New York in parallel with the United Nations meeting. There are 77 member countries in the Socialist International, including the CHP, and 36 of them are countries in Europe. On the last day of our Change Convention, we had prepared the Ankara Declaration together with the Socialist International's committee that produces progressive solutions to global and local problems. I will present it personally at the meeting in New York."

Özgür Özel continued as follows:

"Israel's increasingly aggressive stance in recent days is our primary agenda item. We will express our views on the need for the US to properly protect its own citizen, in addition to our influence on Israel regarding the murder of our sister Ayşenur, who is a citizen of both the Republic of Turkey and the US."

Drawing attention to the cleaning problem in schools, Özel said, "Schools are in a terrible state in terms of hygiene. We are ready to clean the schools they cannot manage to clean."

"THE FOOL CASE AGAINST İMAMOĞLU"

When a journalist asked Özel, "What will you do if İmamoğlu's sentence in the 'fool case' is upheld while you are in the US?" he gave the following response:

"Our Istanbul Provincial Chair and our Acting Chairman, who are seeing me off, will attend that meeting together and will manage that meeting. We have assigned 6 of our Deputy Chairmen, and our Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor will attend part of the meeting. I also had a one-on-one meeting with him last night. We have evaluated this ourselves. We are considering every possibility. Let no one try to normalize a sentence from an absurd case or an absurd accusation, or try to make us accept it as if it were going to happen. The establishment of such an agenda should not be allowed.

Süleyman Soylu called Ekrem İmamoğlu, a public official, a 'fool.' Ekrem Bey, without losing his composure, said 'you are the one.' When he reminded him that the fool was the one who 'had the Istanbul election cancelled,' they turned the matter to the YSK, saying 'oh, the YSK cancelled the Istanbul election, you insulted public officials.' Did Süleyman Soylu call Ekrem Bey a 'fool' while looking us all in the eye or not? Ekrem Bey is the elected public official of Istanbul... They are trying to impose a sentence by claiming that his response to Süleyman Soylu was directed at the YSK. Let no one try to normalize the possibility of a sentence here. We do not accept this. There is no such nonsense, no such lack of consciousness. I do not think they will inflict such a disgrace on Turkey.

They have set up a conspiracy to restrict a potential presidential candidacy of Ekrem İmamoğlu or to impose a restriction on Ekrem İmamoğlu; the pawn of the conspiracy is Süleyman Soylu. This case will be heard one day, we will get a sentence. There is no such thing. If you do this, if you have not learned your lesson from the democratic slap of last time, the nation will apply a much more severe one."

YÜKSEL ARSLAN'S POST TARGETING İMAMOĞLU

Regarding Yüksel Arslan's post that created a crisis, Özel said:

"I find Mansur Yavaş's stance on this issue very constructive. He also said that he was uncomfortable with such approaches.

We also evaluated the entire agenda with Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu. When I return to Turkey, the three of us will come together. There is no crisis. When the day comes, we will all make the most correct decision together at the decision-making authority. There is no contradiction between us on this matter anyway. Everyone is saying the same thing. In the evenings, everyone says different things on television.

It was long past time to keep the channels of dialogue open and to walk a path by displaying more of the unity that gives confidence to friends and anxiety to those who are not. The consensus in the CHP is towards coming to power. The consensus in the CHP is that internal disputes are a betrayal of both the party and the country. From now on, we have no path to walk politically with those who fuel internal disputes."

THE BARBECUE PARTY ALSO ATTENDED BY HULUSİ AKAR

Regarding the sausage barbecue party held at an event of the AKP-run Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, which was also attended by Hulusi Akar, Özel said:

"The historical hostility between Mr. Akar and me is obvious. The fact that it has emerged that he did not eat sausage is important for the public to be informed. He may not have eaten the sausage, but there are many people whose rights he has eaten and made others eat. There are those who died without forgiving him. There are those who were expelled from schools with cruelty because they did not fit their discipline. While his comrades-in-arms were rotting in prison with conspiracy cases, there are those who did not step foot there. He will answer for those rights. Sausage is easy, I will pay for the sausage party. If Hulusi Akar is going to eat, let him eat, the sausages are on me. But who will pay for all the rights he has eaten?"