Özgür Özel responds to criticisms of the normalization period! He announced the CHP's roadmap

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel made statements regarding the current agenda. Answering questions from Sözcü's Saygı Öztürk and Emin Özgönül, Özel responded to criticisms regarding the normalization/softening period that began with the government following the victory achieved in the local elections.

Stating that they will hold a rally at Mount Ararat for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is being held in Silivri Prison, Özel noted that he has been keeping a "process log" since the trustee was appointed to the Esenyurt Municipality.

Here are the highlights from Özel's statements:

"I HAVE BEEN KEEPING A PROCESS LOG SINCE ESENYURT"

"I have been keeping an extraordinary process log since the Esenyurt incident; I am noting everything down. For example, I wrote in the log that 'Beşiktaş was the straw that broke the camel's back.' The events started with Esenyurt; they appointed a trustee. Then came the operation against Beşiktaş. I consider what is being done as a declaration of war. We are doing whatever is done in war; we have the struggle, the defense, the courage, and the attack—we are at war from now on. If you declare war, I accept, but you fired the first shot. What would you do if a neighboring country declared war? They are shooting at me, hitting me. You cannot say 'I will just stand there.' But I did not declare the war, so I am on the ground of righteousness. We have the moral superiority, we have the psychological superiority, we have the energy of the majority."

Stating that despite all the resources at the government's disposal, the CHP is setting the agenda, Özel said, "Even though it was banned in Saraçhane, we held rallies for 7 consecutive days in the same place, at the same time, with the same speaker, and each day they were more crowded."

"WE WILL HOLD A RALLY AT MOUNT ARARAT FOR MAYOR EKREM"

Speaking about the rally schedule, Özel said:

Everywhere we go, there is a demand for freedom and early election rallies for Ekrem İmamoğlu. Currently, 50 cities are confirmed, and we will hold rallies in all of them. Today, at 14:00, we are at Samsun Republic Square. Atatürk also started from Samsun; the first President started there. Our last President will also start from there. Every Wednesday at 20:30, there is a rally in an Istanbul district. How was Şişli waiting? Now look at Beylikdüzü. Then we are in Yozgat; the tractors they fined will also be there. We will also hold a rally at Mount Ararat. We will climb Mount Ararat and hold a rally for Mayor Ekrem, for democracy, for freedom, and for justice.

"ERDOĞAN ALSO HAS A SHARE IN OUR SUCCESS"

Touching upon the signature campaign they launched for Ekrem İmamoğlu's release and early elections, Özel said that AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also has a share in the success of the 14.5 million signatures collected for İmamoğlu in the primary election.

Özel stated the following:

"We are doing things that will go down in world political history. On top of 1.75 million members, 14.5 million people came and cast their votes and signed in the solidarity ballot box. They were saying 'they cannot pass 800 thousand,' whereas over 1.25 million is a state of mobilization. We said, 'Persuade, encourage, accompany them to the ballot box,' and we achieved this. The one who enabled us to achieve this is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Because a great injustice was done to us, and for this reason, he gave us the opportunity to organize the reaction that emerged. I am the one who organized, who called to Saraçhane, who called to the ballot box, but this great energy stems from this great lawlessness that was committed."

RESPONSE TO CRITICISMS OF THE NORMALIZATION PERIOD

In the continuation of his statements, Özel also responded to criticisms regarding the normalization/softening period that began with the AKP government following the victory achieved in the March 31 Local Elections:

"I did not create the tension. When I became the leader of the first party on March 31, I did what was appropriate for me. I made phone calls during the holidays, I visited the parties, and they came to us. I did it by lowering the tension, by reducing the stress; I said this is the normal, and it was named normalization. Erdoğan first said 'softening,' then 'normalization.' He saw that in July, with normalization, the CHP's votes reached a record level and hit 37%. They said, 'CHP is rising, normalization must end.' They burned 4 lieutenants just for this reason. To end normalization, they stepped on our toes."

Özel continued as follows:

"The President says 'I am the Commander-in-Chief,' and we are fighting on every front. He hardened the language and forced us to this point. He will take the first step, he will stop the war, we will return to the democratic ground, and Mayor Ekrem will be released. If they harden, we will harden too. We are under an abnormal attack. If there is democracy, we exist; if not, we do not. If the ballot box goes, no one will be left. I mean, it is not just about us leaving; the parties will not remain. They are trying to appoint a trustee to the party founded by Atatürk, to the apple of Atatürk's eye, to Saraçhane, which we took over in the historic peninsula where he closed his eyes to life, to the capital of empires. What could be further than this? Bring a tank, shoot at me, throw a bomb, kill me, but do not try to appoint a trustee to the party founded by Atatürk."

"THAT DIPLOMA WILL COME BACK"

"Mayor Ekrem's diploma will be handled through the administrative judiciary. They committed a major irregularity; the place that issued the diploma cancels it. They could not find 4 out of 7 in the Faculty of Business Administration. They brought it to the university's board of directors. The senate is authorized there, and it must decide by secret ballot. Instead of this, they did the job with an open vote and with those they appointed to the university's board of directors. This is something that will be canceled immediately. They also canceled the diplomas of those who were schoolmates with Ekrem İmamoğlu. Among them is a female professor working at Galatasaray University. They turned a woman with a doctorate from Sorbonne University into a high school graduate. Well, what will happen to the students this woman has taught and graduated for 30 years? Among them are those who still work for the state. What will happen to the diplomas she issued? There cannot be such lawlessness; no administrative lawyer can defend it. This matter will definitely be overturned by the administrative court, the regional court, or the Council of State."