Breaking News... Striking statement from Özgür Özel regarding Erdoğan's potential re-election! He issued a call to the opposition

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel made statements at the Return to the Path of Democracy Forum held in Istanbul.

Regarding the investigations launched into municipalities under his party's administration and their Social Security Institution (SGK) debts, Özel said, "There is no account that any of our mayors cannot provide."

Stating that the AKP is attempting to drag CHP mayors into the candidacy debate, Özel used the following expressions:

"The AKP has a candidate problem. Trying to drag CHP mayors, who are extremely successful and busy with their work, into a candidacy debate, creating a binary conflict, and generating intra-party agendas is a matter that only serves the interests of the Palace and Devlet Bahçeli."

Stating that a culture of "egalitarian understanding" prevails in his party, Özel said, "In the CHP, there is no disrespect for beliefs, hostility toward headscarves, or imposition of one's own lifestyle; on the contrary, an egalitarian understanding that defends the rights of others more than one's own prevails."

Highlights from Özel's statements are as follows:

"Today, the government's only hope is for the opposition to be fragmented and for the opposition to argue among itself.

Its hope for the future is also the unnecessary arguments that opposition parties might have within themselves.

For example, while the AKP Chairman says 'There are 4 years without elections,' and with that YSK decision still standing—meaning this is the President's second term and he cannot be a candidate again unless the elections are renewed by Parliament or there is an early election. If they are renewed, he can be a candidate one last time.

To today's early election delusions, it is said, 'There is no early election, it will be held on time.'

In that case, he is not a candidate. The AKP has a candidate problem.

While questions such as 'Is it the current Minister of Interior or the previous one? Is it the current head of the MIT or the previous one, or which of the sons-in-law?' remain, dragging CHP mayors, who are busy with their work, into a candidacy debate and creating a binary conflict is a matter that only and exclusively serves the interests of the Palace and its supporter Devlet Bahçeli.

We have set aside candidacy debates within the party.

My call to the opposition is that it is essential for all democrats to take ownership of this country's future, without experiencing the drift the government desires, by possessing a culture of standing side-by-side, and by learning lessons from the mistakes of the past."