Intense interest in Özgür Özel in the AKP's stronghold! This is how he addressed Erdoğan

Following the "butlan" (nullity) decision, the elected Chairman of the CHP, Özgür Özel, who has begun touring the country, made his stop today in Niğde, known as a stronghold of the AKP.

Meeting with citizens there, Özel first listened to the problems of cherry producers in Beyağıl village, located in the Ulukışla district, during his first program of the day.

Later, visiting shopkeepers in the New Bazaar, Özel was met with intense interest. Climbing onto a bench, Özel addressed the citizens.

"THEY ARE FLOWING LIKE A FLOOD WITH US"

Thanking the citizens for their interest and noting that the crowd was growing, Özel made the following statements:

"We walked through the street. As in every place, people in Niğde are waiting and welcoming us. They are flowing like a flood with us. No one can stand in front of the rushing flood of the people. Let everyone know this.

While we were flowing downwards like a flood, a wheelchair, a three-wheeler, got stuck between us. We were afraid we might cause harm in the crush. While trying to move it to the side, I said, 'Sorry brother, please move to the side.' He said, 'I came towards you on purpose.' He showed this and said, 'My name is Fuat Baş.' Is there anyone who knows Fuat Paşa, who has a wheelchair?

Ah. He said, 'I came to give this to you, to entrust it to you. Take this and go.' Then he said, 'Save your party, save your country, become the government and bring this back to me.' I am taking this trust from my brother Fuat Paşa... in Niğde. One day we will come here, we will climb onto this bench again. We will return the trust to brother Fuat."

"I WILL CLIMB ONTO THIS BENCH NEXT TIME AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE RULING PARTY"

Stating that he would not forget the wheelchair entrusted to him, Özel noted that he would return to Niğde and said:

"Instead of writing it down to remember the name, I wanted to record the trust of my brother Fuat, the people of Niğde, and those following us across Turkey. I will come to Niğde once more, and I will climb onto this bench not as the leader of the main opposition, but as the chairman of the ruling party.

I am grateful for the interest and love you have shown. Of course, I see and understand the anger felt today. You look at it this way: the party was always the second party for 50 years, 47 years, sometimes it stayed below the threshold. The party had been longing for these days for 47 years. The Justice and Development Party was founded and never saw defeat. Chairman Özgür, our chairman, Adem, who was the provincial chairman at that time and is now our party member, our current elected provincial chairman Bünyamin, and the young change team across Turkey, they became candidates and made a claim.

We said, 'If we come out second in an election, we will not stay at the head of the party.' They told me, 'Oh, don't do it. You have only been chairman for 4 months.' I said, 'I swear we will make the claim. Either we will win, or we will leave and go, and someone who can win will come. This party will no longer lose.'"

"MR. TAYYİP, YOU HAVE ONLY JUST FACED US"

Evaluating the local election results, Özel made the following statements regarding President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan:

"On top of this... five months later, maybe we didn't win Niğde that day, but we increased our municipalities in Niğde from one to eight. We won 65 percent of Turkey. 47 years later, we made the Republican People's Party the first party in Turkey, just like the day it was founded. For the first time since its founding, we introduced the Justice and Development Party to defeat. You know, Erdoğan always used to say; 'We competed and I won, we competed and I won, I defeated them eleven times.' Look at what I am saying from Niğde now; 'Mr. Tayyip, you have only just faced us. We competed once, and I won that one!'

And I am saying it from here, I am telling Mr. Tayyip, I am telling Erdoğan. You were talking so boldly and broadly. If you have the courage, come and face us, let us compete a second time, let us defeat you a second time!"

Referring to the election performance of his party's imprisoned presidential candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Özel continued his words as follows:

"My presidential candidate defeated the candidates you showed in Istanbul, first in Beylikdüzü and then three times in a row in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. As the Republican People's Party, as Özgür Özel, as Ekrem İmamoğlu, as Mansur Yavaş, we are not used to defeat, and we will not get used to it!"

"WE PROMISED TO ERASE THE INTEREST ON ALL AGRICULTURAL LOANS"

Continuing his speech by addressing the economic difficulties experienced by cherry producers, Özel stated that producers are under cost pressure and made the following assessments:

"My dear friends, dear people of Niğde, my dear elders, you see this. I went and touched upon it today and heard a thousand sighs. The cherry producer is groaning in pain. Two years ago, the cherry they sold for one hundred liras... last year there was no product, there was a lot of debt, a lot of interest. This year it is sixty liras, fifty liras, it barely covers the harvesting cost. When that happens, they are devastated. When you try to buy cherries, you can't, they are expensive, but they buy them from the producer at the cost of harvesting. Interest rates have grown. We have promised to erase the interest on all loans used in agriculture once, and to divide the principal into 3 to 5 years. I repeat this here again."

Then, listing the CHP's promises regarding agricultural and social policies, Özel said:

"Let everyone know that when the CHP comes to power, the farmer will be rid of their debts once and for all. Those involved in animal husbandry will be rid of their debts once and for all. In other words, under our government, everyone will get a second chance. Retirees will be saved from misery and hunger, and laborers will be saved from the exploitation of their sweat. We promised this, just like our political relatives in the world, because we promised insurance to housewives if the woman at home cannot work.

Because we promised a basic citizenship income to everyone who is an honorable citizen of the Republic of Turkey. Because we said we came not to manage poverty, but to eradicate it. We both came out first in the local elections and we are first in all polls conducted since that day, we are in the lead."

"HE ESTABLISHED JUDICIAL BRANCHES"

Criticizing Erdoğan's attitude regarding the election process, Özel made the following statements:

"And now, and now... Since this is the case, when Tayyip Erdoğan realized that he could no longer win the election, instead of saying something that would win him the election, he established a new branch in his party alongside the main staff, women's branches, and youth branches, in order to make us lose the election and to eliminate the Republican People's Party that would defeat him. He established judicial branches.

In the past, while coups were carried out with the uniforms of soldiers, now they were carried out with the robes of prosecutors and chief prosecutors. In this operation against the Republican People's Party, he attempted to liquidate the cadres of the Republican People's Party that are marching to power, have learned to win, are not used to defeat, and will defeat him.

What was done to Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, and what was done to Hüseyin Can Güner last night and this morning, is an operation to stop our cadres marching to power and our mayors who have become the darlings of the nation with the stick of the judiciary, with a mobile guillotine, and with mobile judges they appointed themselves. We will not surrender to this step taken against us, we will not shrink, we will not bow down, we will not bend an inch."

"EVEN IF WE ARE THE LAST ONE LEFT, WE WILL NOT TURN BACK FROM THIS PATH"

Stating that they will continue the struggle against the attempts against the CHP, Özel continued his speech with these words:

"There was only one thing they had to do against this. Someone had to say stop to them. You said it on March 31, they still didn't learn their lesson. They are still attempting old games, old conspiracies. I am telling those who conspire against us, I am addressing you from here. You have tried many things until today. You tried to make the Alevi an enemy of the Sunni, it didn't work. You tried to make the Turk an enemy of the Kurd, and the Kurd an enemy of the Turk, it didn't work. You tried to reach into the party, it didn't work.

The current move is to conspire through mobile conspiracy judges and the calculation of leaving the party leaderless by attacking its chairman. I am telling Tayyip Erdoğan from here, and I am giving the good news to all of Turkey from Niğde. Even if we are the last one left, we will not turn back from this path, we will not stop this march to power."

"THE POWER OF THE NATION BROUGHT ME ONTO THIS BENCH"

Concluding his speech by thanking the citizens, Özel made the following statements:

"Under this heat, so as not to keep you any longer, my word is this. Rest assured that our path is long and difficult, but it is a peaceful path at the very end when we arrive by walking decisively. This path is the path to power. Are you ready to walk this path with me? Are you ready? Today, Niğde flowed like a flood. Greetings to those who wait for us in the middle of summer, on a Sunday, in the middle of the day, under the sun, to those who protect us, to those who are with us, to those who flow like a flood on these roads. Greetings to you all.

The power of the palace did not bring me here onto this bench. The power of the judiciary did not bring me here onto this bench. Money, wealth, and crony institutions did not bring me here onto this bench. What brought me here and brought me together with you on this bench is the power of the nation. I believe in the nation.

Everyone I reach out to embraces me as if they are saving me, as if they are saving themselves. Besides those I embraced, there are those I could not reach, whose hands I could not hold, who came to embrace me but could not reach. May you all forgive me. I love you all very much.

I am telling those watching from their televisions. I am complaining about my situation, I am young and I am complaining, I am old and I am complaining, I am a retiree and I am complaining, I am a laborer and I am complaining, I am a farmer and I am complaining. I ask those who say 'How will I be saved?' Look at Niğde. Do as the people of Niğde do. Go wherever you are called, flow like a flood, take hold of this country's destiny. I salute Niğde, I am glad you exist. I salute you all, I am glad you exist."