Özel: Turkey is at a historic turning point: 'A zero will be dropped from prices'

Chairman Özel, who visited the Ayvalık Municipality accompanied by Deputy Chairmen Ensar Aytekin and Mahir Başaran, as well as CHP Provincial Chairman Erden Köybaşı, CHP Balıkesir Deputy Serkan Sarı, CHP District Chairman Hüseyin Şalmanlı, and CHP mayors from the Edremit Gulf districts, was welcomed by Ayvalık Mayor Mesut Ergin.

After young football players from Ayvalıkgücü Belediyespor presented him with a number 10 jersey with “Özgür Özel” written on it, Özel went to the mayor's office where Mayor Ergin welcomed him and gave a brief briefing on his work. Arguing that Turkey will soar under a CHP government, Mayor Ergin stated that they would stand by Özgür Özel in the race for power.

Speaking at the meeting, CHP Chairman Özel recalled that the CHP emerged as the leading party in the March 31 elections with votes from 65 percent of Turkey's population, noting that this was a great show of favor by the Turkish nation and, at the same time, a great responsibility.

Pointing out that 9 provinces in the Aegean Region are now governed by CHP mayors, Özel said, "What I always tell our mayors is this: the key in the pocket of Ayvalık Mayor Mesut Ergin today is not the key to the municipality's door, its safe, or the golden key to Ayvalık; the key in his pocket is the key to the Republican People's Party's government.

If we do our part correctly, and if we govern well and transparently, our nation will give us the key to the national government as well. This time, they did not just entrust a few municipalities; they entrusted 80 percent of the economy, 92 percent of tourism, and 95 percent of the population to CHP mayors.

This means the following: 'I am giving you an investment loan. This is not a consumer loan, not for you to just take and consume. It is for you to use this loan correctly. When the day comes and we enter the atmosphere of a general election, I will look. Just like banks, if the loans provided are used well, they come to provide more. If they are used poorly, they want to withdraw them,'" he said.

"TURKEY IS AT A HISTORIC TURNING POINT"

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel said, "When you look at the previous members of the EU, there is a per capita national income of 55 thousand dollars. However, when you abandon that goal and then follow the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the average national income there is 4 thousand 500 dollars. There is a 10-fold difference between them. Turkey is at a historic turning point. The first election to be held will, in one respect, be a referendum. This time, the referendum is: a rich, prosperous Turkey that is part of Europe, where the rule of law brings development, or a Turkey with strong leaders and poor people, as in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization?"

Özel stated, "I am expressing this very clearly. If the Republican People's Party governs Turkey for 10 years after the next elections, a zero will be dropped from prices, not from salaries."

Touching upon the water shortage problem in the Ayvalık and Edremit Gulf districts, Özel said, "You will see very soon that this problem will be solved in a coordinated manner by the CHP-run Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality and the Ayvalık Municipality. What the AK Party has done regarding this issue in the past had reached the limit for the people of Ayvalık and the Gulf. The situation had become unbearable.

The AK Party received the necessary response in these elections. From now on, despite the wreckage we inherited and the incredible debts of the municipality, we are taking the first steps to solve these problems and produce permanent solutions. We want to give the good news of this here.

To date, we have not made anyone who voted for a CHP mayor regret it in the recent period. They always say, 'We voted. We are satisfied.' We saw this satisfaction regarding Mayor Mesut in Ayvalık. We saw it yesterday regarding our mayor in Edremit. We see it regarding the Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality.

I am very pleased with this as well. I see the days on the horizon when this satisfaction will continue to increase and bring the national government to the CHP, and I am waiting for them impatiently," he said.