Removed by the 'Butlan' administration: First statement from CHP Manisa Provincial Chair İlksen Özalper

CHP Manisa Provincial Chair İlksen Özalper, who was removed from office by the Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu administration, issued a statement reacting to the decision. 

Özalper stated, "The only will that can remove us from here is the will that brought us here, our delegates," and added that they would continue the struggle under the leadership of elected Chairman Özgür Özel.

Manisa Provincial Chair İlksen Özalper stated that they were not appointed to the provincial chairmanship but were elected by the will of the CHP organization, delegates, and party members, using the expression, "The decision taken today by appointed AKP collaborators has no karşılık (validity/resonance) in the conscience of our organization and our citizens."

Özalper’s words were as follows:

“We did not come to this duty by appointment, but by the will of the Republican People's Party, our organization, our delegates, and our fellow travelers.

The decision taken today by appointed AKP collaborators has no validity in the conscience of our organization and our citizens.

For us, positions are temporary. What is essential is our responsibility to our people and the will of our organization.

This party does not walk its path through desk-bound calculations or anti-democratic interventions; it moves with the decisions of its members, delegates, and organizations.

As the elected Provincial Chairs of the Republican People's Party, we will continue to stand behind the promise we made to our people and our struggle.

The only will that can remove us from here is the will that brought us here, our delegates. Beyond this, no power is above the organizational will of the Republican People's Party.

Our word and our stance are clear:

Under the leadership of our elected Chairman Mr. Özgür Özel, as the elected cadres of the Republican People's Party, we will continue to stand on the right side of history, fulfill our responsibility to our people, and continue our struggle for democracy with determination!”