Özgür Özel's first comment on AKP's alliance with DEM Party: 'They have reached an agreement with the head of terrorism'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel responded to Erdoğan's statement, "We, as the AK Party, MHP, and DEM Party, have decided to walk this path together." In his speech at the Malatya rally, Özel stated, "Today, those who called us terrorists yesterday for meeting with the DEM Party, and who imprisoned our mayors because there was a council member from the former DEM in the municipal councils or because of a 'City Alliance,' have now sat down and reached an agreement with the head of the terrorist organization, yet they still keep our mayors in prison." 

Özel spoke as follows:

"Erdoğan said he would make a historic announcement today. For days, they shared posts from the hall; 3 days left, 2 days left. The nation opened its ears and listened. He did not announce a raise for the minimum wage or retirees. He did not give good news to the unappointed teachers. He did not mention the payments to farmers who are struggling. He did not give the good news of a return to democracy or an early election. He went around in circles and did propaganda for his own party. He said the PKK burned the weapons, from now on the AKP-MHP-DEM are together, we don't want anyone else, and he called what comes after this the 'Century of Turkey'."

"WE ARE AGAINST TERROR, WE STAND BEHIND TURKEY"

"First, let me say this. This country has had the PKK terrorist organization for 41 years. During the 23 years of AKP rule, Erdoğan has been either Prime Minister or President. In 2002, the year he came to power, we only had 7 martyrs. He took it from there and did all sorts of wrong things. In 2015-2016, we had 530 martyrs. In the past, when the resolution process was mentioned, he didn't want the CHP, and the MHP called it a 'process of betrayal' where you made a deal with APO. He called Bahçeli a 'blood-sucking vampire.' We are giving 530 martyrs behind it. As if he had no fault in any of this, today he comes out and says, 'We have reached an agreement, we will do it, we will benefit.' As the Republican People's Party, we have been against terror for years, and we stand behind a Turkey that is both free of terror and democratic."

"THEY SAT DOWN AND REACHED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE HEAD OF THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION"

"We are the guarantors of both peace and democracy. Before us is an autocratic government that has declared war on democracy, imprisons its rivals, appoints trustees to municipalities, and lets elected politicians rot in dungeons. Democracy cannot come with this mindset. I am addressing those who say, 'Let our internal front be strong.' You cannot do that by filling dungeons with political prisoners. We resisted together in Saraçhane for seven days and seven nights. We called for freedom for Özdağ, for İmamoğlu, and for Demirtaş. We stood by the elected. Today, those who called us terrorists yesterday for meeting with the DEM Party, and who imprisoned our mayors because there was a council member from the former DEM in the municipal councils or because of a 'City Alliance,' have now sat down and reached an agreement with the head of the terrorist organization, yet they still keep our mayors in prison."

"I AM AGAINST TERROR AND I STAND BEHIND PEACE"

"We have seen this clearly. Because Erdoğan cannot practice the politics of hope, because he is in despair, and because he has no chance of winning an election, he is looking for an enemy. He wants to practice the politics of a new enemy. I am calling out to Erdoğan: There is no passage for the politics of fear without feeding the hungry and solving the problems of those who have them. For years, he made the nation vote for him through the politics of fear, saying, 'I know you are hungry and poor, but you must vote for me, otherwise they will silence the call to prayer and lower the flag.' Now, he has forgotten all the accusations he made there. A new politics of fear, a new enemy, and that is the CHP. I will not retreat from where I stand; I am against terror and I support peace. I will not conduct politics according to you. I will not let anyone belittle the party of the Gazi, the first party of Turkey. I will stand up to you."

"IN HIS CALCULATION, DEM IS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KURDS, MHP IS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TURKS, AND HE IS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ARABS"

"He has come out with Kurds-Turks-Arabs. In his calculation, DEM is the representative of the Kurds, MHP is the representative of the Turks, and he is the representative of the Arabs. He will build a roof. Under that roof, there will be a consciousness of the 'ummah' (community of believers), not a consciousness of citizenship. He thinks he will build a new alliance based on Sunni Islam and move forward with this new alliance. We will do everything to ensure no more martyrs fall. As the CHP, we will stand where we need to stand, but we will not let you make calculations in this geography based on 'ummah' politics and sectarianism. Just as we defeated you in Malatya and across all of Turkey on March 31 with the Turkey Alliance—where social democrats, conservative democrats, liberal democrats, and Kurdish democrats stood hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, and heart to heart—we will defeat you again."

"Do not think of Kurds as unprincipled people. Every citizen of this country within the borders of the National Pact (Misak-ı Millî) is held in high regard. Neither will the Kurds let themselves be used by you, nor will anyone else."