Özgür Özel evaluates Mansur Yavaş's stance on the New Party: 'We consider him to be with us'

Stating that their headquarters will open within 10 days, Özgür Özel responded to a journalist's question by saying, "Mansur Bey's situation and his stance, from his walk to Anıtkabir with us on the first day, are exactly as we all expected." Özel added, "We consider everyone who does not say 'I am not in the New Party' to be with us." Özel also responded to a question regarding the party's presidential candidate by reminding that the imprisoned Ekrem İmamoğlu received 15.5 million votes from the public, "We respect the citizen's candidate. The nation's candidate is our candidate as well." he said.

The first meeting of the New Party's Founders' Board was held at the Anadolu Club, which was established in 1926 under the instructions of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and whose first honorary president was İsmet İnönü. At the meeting, Özgür Özel was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the New Party. Ali Mahir Başarır, Murat Emir, and Gökhan Günaydın were elected as group deputy chairmen. The party's High Disciplinary Board (YDK) and Party Assembly (PM) members were also determined. Following the meeting, Özel answered questions from the press, and his statements are as follows:

"As we announced at the group meeting at the beginning of the week, together with our 91 deputies who served in the CHP in the past period, we submitted our resignations from our party this morning. We made our ready and sequential applications first to the Ministry of Interior, then to the Court of Cassation, and then to the Speaker of the Parliament. Afterward, we gathered on the anniversary of the Anadolu Club to hold the first meeting of our new party for the youth, women, victims, and democrats. Our founders' board members elected me as the Chairman of the New Party by vote. We determined our 80-member party assembly and our 15-member YDK. Tomorrow at 11:00, we will be in the presence of our ancestor, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, at Anıtkabir with our founders' board. Then, at 12:00, we will hold our first party assembly meeting, where I will present our founding Central Executive Board (MYK). That is how our charter is. Then, on Tuesday morning, we will hold our closed-door group meeting in Parliament, and as of 15:00 on Tuesday, we will have taken our place in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) as the main opposition party, both in the general assembly and in the Parliament." 

The new headquarters building is on Mustafa Kemal Paşa. The building is ready. I estimate that we will be operational in our new headquarters within 10 days.

We are not currently collecting any donations or dues for the new party. We are concerned about potential fraud attempts. Please rely only on the official accounts of the party that we announce through our social media channels. 

We will hold our congress this autumn and ensure that everything regarding our eligibility to enter the election begins. There is no cause for concern; all necessary precautions are in place. No one should think that this excitement will be left out of the ballot box.

Mansur Bey's situation and his stance, from his walk to Anıtkabir with us on the first day, are exactly as we all expected.

We consider everyone who does not say 'I am not in the New Party' to be with us, but there is a sensitivity we show regarding the situation of municipal council members. No one should blame anyone else for not joining the New Party. We accept everyone who does not say 'I am not in' as being with us. 

Regarding the presidential candidacy, we have a new corporate identity.  Ekrem İmamoğlu is not an organ of Özgür Özel or the CHP; 15.5 million citizens determined him as a candidate at the ballot box. There is a judicial siege in front of his candidacy, and there are also attacks related to diplomacy. We respect the citizen's candidate. The nation's candidate is our candidate as well."

RESPONSE TO BAHÇELİ'S STATEMENT ON TREASURY AID

Özel,  in response to MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's statement on treasury aid,"Devlet Bey made a valuable assessment. He had called me with a congratulatory phone call one day before this statement, conveying his good wishes by saying, 'I wish there hadn't been a separation.' There is a situation that requires a legal regulation regarding the issue of treasury aid." he said.