CHP Chairman Özel: We agreed that we are in a process of constitutional necessity

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel met with DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan at the DEVA Party Headquarters. Speaking after the meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half, Özel said, "We held a very useful meeting that was quite comprehensive and two-way, where we were able to express our own thoughts and also benefit from the thoughts of Mr. Babacan and his valuable delegation."

"We evaluated what Israel is experiencing both in Palestine and in Iran"

Stating that one of the topics on the meeting's agenda was the developments in Iran, Özel said, "We evaluated the situation in terms of the practices of Trump, who tries to impose his own order on the world, and in terms of what Israel is experiencing both in Palestine and in Iran. We reiterated and confirmed our common positions, which are already known to the public, against these humanitarian tragedies. At the same time, we presented our report to our Chairman, which identifies the situation this war has created for Turkey and its economy—with two valuable members of our Economic Coordination Council being in our delegation—and presents urgent recommendations as well as medium and long-term proposals."

"We agreed that we are in a process where a by-election must be held, a process of constitutional necessity"

Stating that they agreed with Babacan on the issue of by-elections, Özel used the following expressions:

"You have already been hearing my thoughts and our approach regarding by-elections for a few days. We had the opportunity to express our thoughts on the situation, the Parliament's internal regulations, the constitution, and the duties and powers of the Speaker of the Parliament to our Chairman. He also shared his approach, which he mentioned earlier, that this is a constitutional necessity and that the constitution is written in a way that leaves no room for doubt on this matter. We agreed that after the 30 months that have passed, we are in a process where a by-election must be held, a process of constitutional necessity. From here on, after we complete our political party visits, we will convey our request for a meeting on this matter to Numan Kurtulmuş and continue to discuss the issue on the floor of the Parliament. What is out of place here is that a constitutional obligation on the legislature is being interfered with by the executive branch. It is the claim that 'this is not on Turkey's agenda.' I would like to state once again that we absolutely do not accept this."

"Our call is for the guns to fall silent as soon as possible in the entire field, including Lebanon"

DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan, regarding the developments in the Middle East, said, "Our call is for the guns to fall silent as soon as possible in the entire field, including Lebanon, for this temporary ceasefire to turn into a permanent ceasefire through negotiations at the table, and subsequently for an agreement to be reached on a ground where peace talks can begin. This is our desire and expectation. We hope that this war, which also affects Turkey and a very wide geography, will end permanently."