Özgür Özel speaks on delegate signatures submitted to CHP Headquarters: It also contains a text

CHP Group Chairman Özgür Özel met with his party's provincial chairs.

In his statement following the meeting, Özel recalled that the delegate signatures collected for the Convention were taken to CHP Headquarters today, adding, "We also submitted a file to them regarding these signatures, all of which were provided in due form in the presence of a notary. The file contains a text signed by 34 public law professors and associate professors in Turkey. The summary of the text is this; 'The injunction that has been issued absolutely does not prevent an extraordinary congress; on the contrary, it makes it mandatory. The congress must be held as soon as possible,' it says. These are the professors who train the judges who will make decisions in this field, and there is no professor in this field in Turkey who holds a different view. Furthermore, in the annex of our file, we have included articles written by both these professors and other academics on this subject, as well as publications they have sent to international journals. Because Turkey is experiencing a first in this regard," he said.

"The provincial chairs here are the provincial chairs of our march to power"

Özel stated that the administration that came to office with the injunction does not have the authority to dismiss provincial chairs, saying, "An injunction is a decision that should not produce results. Those who have an injunction cannot come and dismiss a provincial chair like this. Especially, no one can take away anyone's right to vote by referring them to the disciplinary board. It is not something that can happen. It must be clearly stated that we are facing a full-fledged lawlessness. We held our meeting with our provincial chairs here. This decision came out at a certain stage of the meeting, and this decision did not change our determination at all. Because we are the cadres of the Republican People's Party who know how to win, have learned to win, are not accustomed to defeat, and will save the party from opposition and carry it to power. We are walking this path together with our provincial chairs who believe in this. Now, our friends will carry out the technical work. We will carry out separate studies for the provinces where the administration was dismissed or where the organization there was dissolved. But the provincial chairs here are the provincial chairs of the Republican People's Party; the provincial chairs here are the provincial chairs of our march to power," he declared.

"We stand behind the elected provincial chairs"

Expressing that they stand behind the elected provincial chairs, Özel said, "Just as a building is not necessary for the Chairman, and wherever the Chairman is, that is the headquarters, our provincial presidency is wherever, for example, our Adana provincial chair is. Of course, we have no intention of easily giving our ancestral home in Adana to anyone. I invite all our party members to our dismissed provincial presidencies. We invite our party members to keep a democracy watch at our dismissed provincial chairs and provincial presidencies, and to protect Atatürk's legacy. Also, when we go to a province, for me, wherever our friends from these 81 provinces who are here today are, that is the provincial presidency, and that person is the provincial chair. We stand behind the elected provincial chairs," he stated.

"The presence of our 9 friends in the group as Republican People's Party deputies continues"

Regarding the termination of the CHP membership of 9 individuals, Özel noted the following:

"Such a decision coming from the High Disciplinary Board shows the competence of the appointed friends in our party, their respect for the law, and how they manage the party.

This image tells the nation this: 'How would those who manage the party like this manage Turkey?' God forbid, we are here, we are in our party. Just as we scared them enough to be subjected to a coup by determining the most accurate candidates, conducting the most accurate campaign, and winning by coming in first in the last local elections, we, as those who manage well and competently and stand on the right side, will make our necessary application to the judiciary tomorrow after the HDB meeting ends and domestic legal remedies are exhausted. The status of our friends at the Court of Cassation will also be corrected.

Under these conditions, the Court of Cassation applies the decision coming from the parties there without conducting an expediency and content review. As we entered the meeting, our friends were appearing in our group on the Parliament's website. They will continue to appear. This is the established practice of the Parliament. The presence of our 9 friends in the group as Republican People's Party deputies continues. It will continue until a decision is made and finalized regarding them."