Özgür Özel takes the 'burden' on his back and calls for elections

Visiting his party's Nilüfer District Headquarters and then pinning badges on new members on the stage in front of the building, Özel stated that the municipalities they won in the March 31, 2024 Local Administration Elections brought great hope to the party, emphasizing that this hope would open the doors to power for the CHP in the first elections to be held.

Explaining that the founding cadres of the Republic saved and then founded this country under very difficult conditions in the first century of the Republic, Özel noted the following:

"Now the conditions are difficult, but not as much as they were back then. It falls to the members of the party founded by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a hundred years later, to first save democracy again, to establish a democratic regime again, to ensure the rule of law, to ensure judicial independence, to ensure the separation of powers, and ultimately, by making the party founded by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk the ruling party once again, to lift Turkey up. We will achieve this together."

Stating that the elected mayors have a key in their pockets, Özel used the expression, "That is not the key to the municipality's door, safe, or the city, but the key to the CHP's power. If they work well, beautifully, and honestly, if they look after the public and the poor, eventually the CHP will govern this country again."

Stating that the minimum wage in England is 86 thousand liras and that market prices are 15-20 percent cheaper than in Turkey, Özel said, "In other words, they earn 5.5-6 times the salary that ours receive. And the prices in the market are lower. To catch up with such days, one must walk in the direction Atatürk pointed out and be as brave and hardworking as he was. We brought the youth and the experienced together. We paved the way for women and achieved a great success on March 31. Now, together, we will achieve a similar success in the upcoming elections and make our party the ruling power," he said.

Emphasizing that they are rising by working, not by fighting or engaging in polemics, Özel continued his words as follows:

"Without saying 'the election is over' and waiting for the next election, we are getting better every day by holding rallies for education, retirees, tea, wheat, minimum wage, and labor, and by working very hard and making great efforts. We will win by working, and you will see, we will take this country from those who divide, polarize, impoverish, and turn people into enemies, and we will make it a great, strong, wealthy, and peaceful country. We will also ensure peace with Syria. We will also solve the refugee problem. You will see, the Gazi's party, the founding party, will introduce this country to great victories once again in 10 years. You will see, just as there was a breakthrough in the first 10 years of the Republic, we will experience the same breakthrough, the same rise in this country in the 10 years of our rule. Believe in this, trust in this."

"I WILL CARRY IT LIKE A LION, LIKE A LION"

Visiting the Mudanya Municipality as well, Özgür Özel then addressed the citizens from the party bus in Mütareke Square.

Stating that retirees and minimum wage earners cannot make ends meet with their current salaries, Özel expressed that the minimum wage has also eroded by 3,800 liras in 6 months.

Noticing two young people listening to him holding a basket (küfe), Özel called them to his side and used the following expressions:

"I say, 'Mr. Tayyip, leave the basket, leave it. Give the basket to my back. I will carry the retiree like a lion, like a lion.' We will carry the minimum wage earner. We will carry this nation. If you cannot carry it, leave the basket.

Get off the nation's back. You are a burden on this nation's back. It is not the retirees, the minimum wage earners, the tradesmen, or the farmers; we will carry whatever load you put in this basket. Those who cannot carry it will step aside, and those who can will come. Bring the ballot box, we will carry the burden. We will get the retirees back on their feet. We promise. These two young people took the basket and came. Good for them.

Do not forget these two children. When the nation takes the basket from Mr. Tayyip and puts it on our backs, we will go out that night, we will celebrate the victory together, I promise, we will celebrate with these two young people. We will win."

Özel also paid visits to his party's Osmangazi and Yıldırım district headquarters and the Osmangazi and Nilüfer municipalities.