CHP Chairman Özel addresses the crowd gathered in front of party headquarters

Here are the highlights from the remarks made by Özel, who addressed the crowd gathered in front of the party building to protest the decision of absolute nullity:

Some could not digest our winning the party convention. Others could not digest our winning the local elections. Those accustomed to the establishment's preferred candidates winning have never been able to make peace with the victory of those who challenge the establishment. They have never been able to digest this.

Unfortunately, they chose to declare war on the nation's decision. When they could not produce politics, they established judicial arms. Those judicial arms attempted a civilian coup on March 19, 2025. They have been keeping someone in prison for 14 months—someone who defeated them four times at the ballot box, who was nominated for president by 15.5 million people, and for whose freedom 25.5 million people signed. Our presidential candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu.

They tell us from the sidelines, from the right, from the left, openly, and in group meetings: 'Leave Ekrem, stop the struggle. Return to Ankara. Engage in Ankara-centered politics, sit at the head of the party.' I did not sit in that seat. I will not sit in that seat. You know how they are trying to remove me from a seat? I tell them, the seat I will not sit in is the seat of a happy, content, and safe opposition leadership.

I reject this seat. I am fighting to seat my party's Chairman in the seat of power, to seat my party's presidential candidate in the presidential seat, and to seat my party's administrators in ministerial seats. I reject it... I reject the seat of a comfortable opposition party chairmanship. I did not sit in that seat with the permission of the palace or through the path opened by its judiciary. I will not sit there. No one should sit there. This nation will not seat anyone in that chair against its own will.