Yeniden Refah Party's statement on Istanbul: AK Party will not win again, they should support us

Ercan KÜÇÜK - 12punto.com.tr

As the local elections approach, the stances parties will take and the candidates they will field are frequently discussed and debated. The parties of the Nation Alliance have decided to enter the elections with their own candidates, but there does not appear to be any unity within the People's Alliance other than the AK Party and the MHP. It is being discussed that the Yeniden Refah Party, one of the alliance members, will field a candidate for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM). Deputy Chairman Mehmet Altınöz, whose name is mentioned as an IMM candidate, spoke to 12punto.

Altınöz, whose name is mentioned for the IMM candidacy, emphasized that he has been responsible for Istanbul in the party for 5 years. Stating that there is no certainty regarding his candidacy, Altınöz said:

“I think it is a comment that has emerged as a result of the favor of our organization. There is no such certainty yet. Our headquarters and our Chairman have not made a statement on this matter. I think this information was shared probably based on the favor or comments of our organization and our friends. There is no certainty involved."

'ERDOĞAN HAS A DEBT OF GRATITUDE'

In his response to the question, “Will your party field a candidate for the IMM?”, Altınöz stated that the AKP would not be able to win Istanbul in 2024 either. Altınöz said:

“God willing. Yes, we will field one. A journalist friend asked our Chairman in a TV program whether we were considering forming an alliance in the metropolitan cities. Our Chairman had said, ‘We can consider it in Istanbul and Ankara.’ As the Deputy Chairman and Istanbul Provincial head, I interpret it as follows:

The AK Party already lost Istanbul and Ankara in the 2019 local elections. They will lose in 2024 as well. Let them not lose; let them support the Yeniden Refah Party. Let this alliance take place in Istanbul and Ankara under the umbrella of the Yeniden Refah Party. We supported Mr. Erdoğan in the presidential election. Mr. Erdoğan and the AK Party administrators have a debt of gratitude to us.

In the local elections, the AK Party administrators, Mr. President, and our AK Party friends and brothers should support us to repay this debt of gratitude. Let us form an alliance in Istanbul and Ankara by supporting our candidate.

In Istanbul, we can form an alliance with any party that is suitable for our principles under the umbrella of the Yeniden Refah Party, accepts our principles, and accepts our political conditions regarding the local elections.

They will support our candidates. That is our condition. The Yeniden Refah Party is Turkey's star party. It continues to increase its number of organizations at a 45-degree angle by getting stronger. Our numbers in the polls are also increasing, and the public's favor for us continues.

Our membership numbers are increasing every day. We are the party that has increased its membership numbers by 50 percent in the last 3 months.”