A first in pro-government media in years! CHP leader Özgür Özel spoke to Sabah: 'Let's meet at the Çankaya Mansion'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel spoke to Sabah columnist Yavuz Donat following the victory in the March 31 Local Elections.

Criticisms that the end of media pluralism and the opposition's inability to find space for itself with the AKP coming to power were finding wide coverage in both the press and academia.

Following the CHP's local election victory, for the first time in many years, a CHP Chairman spoke to Sabah. The newspaper also featured the Özgür Özel interview on its front page.

Sabah columnist Yavuz Donat's article is as follows:

"WE ASKED EVERYTHING"

"153 days after being elected chairman... 8 days after the local election... A conversation with CHP Chairman Özgür Özel.

After the fatigue of the weeks... In comfortable clothing... A tracksuit.

The CHP's classic politics are indexed to opposition to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan... It's all about Erdoğan.

Wednesday is the Ramadan Feast.

Intense parliamentary work after the holiday... Domestic and foreign problems ahead of the country.

Özgür Özel... In the new term... What path will he follow?

Will he say, "Even if President Erdoğan invites me, I won't go... I won't meet... I won't even ask for an appointment"?

We asked everything... It was a pleasant conversation.

"I WILL TAKE THE FIRST STEP"

The holiday is peace... It is embracing.

By embracing, we don't necessarily mean hugging... cheek to cheek... or shaking hands.

It is talking to each other... asking how one is doing... wishing healthy days.

Özgür Özel said:

Last holiday, I called all the leaders, starting with Devlet Bahçeli... I only didn't call Erdoğan.

But we were the second party then.

Now... The March 31 elections... And the CHP is the first party... It falls to us to be humble, to make sacrifices, to take the first step, to extend the first hand.

On the day of the holiday, I will call the President... I will congratulate him on the holiday.

Afterwards, I will say some things to him.

WHAT WILL ÖZEL SAY TO ERDOĞAN?

Word for word... Transcript from the recording... Here are the words of the CHP Chairman:

- I will say that dialogue channels must be kept open... That they have been tasked by the nation to govern... And that we have become the local government in a geography that covers 65 percent of Turkey's population and 85 percent of the national income in the March 31 elections... That we have to work together... And that we have to consult from time to time.

ÖZEL WILL POINT TO THE ÇANKAYA MANSION

Every man has his own way of doing things.

Özgür Özel's way is different. And the continuation of the conversation:

There is no "I won't come to you" like before... I will not follow such a policy.

I would prefer that we meet at the Çankaya Mansion... Because Mr. Erdoğan's office is there too.

I will ask him for an appointment... I will meet wherever he gives an appointment.

And... We will solve the problems of this country.

"IF I IGNORE A PERSON BROUGHT TO OFFICE BY THE NATION..."

Özgür Özel... And the new period after the holiday... Continuing the transcript:

We will be the toughest opposition... However... We will never, ever compromise on courtesy and respect for offices.

Because... If I ignore a person brought to office by the nation, then I risk my own mayors being ignored... This is not the right thing.

"THOSE WHO KEEP OLD DISEASES ALIVE..."

Yes... That's exactly what we said... The CHP's childhood disease that never seems to pass... Endless internal strife.

So much so that... Even İsmet İnönü had to resign from the CHP.

Behçet Kemal Çağlar... One of the two poets who wrote the 10th Year March... (The other is Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel.) He had resigned from the CHP.

It is a Native American proverb:

- The branches of a tree do not fight among themselves.

In the CHP, however... There is fighting among the branches of the tree in every period. We reminded Özgür Özel of this issue... of the childhood disease... He said:

5-10 thousand people had come to the airport to welcome me (İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport... April 4-Thursday.)

It was like a rally... I said... We will get rid of these old diseases.

District administrations will do their job... Provincial administrations will do their job... Mayors will do their job.

Whoever is in the party will do their own duty.

No one will dig a hole for another... If there is a deficiency, they will cover it.

Those who keep old diseases alive keep this party in opposition... If we abandon old diseases, we will go to power.

LOCAL ELECTION EVALUATION

Özgür Özel views the March 31 local election results as credit:

The citizen gave us credit... But this is not a consumer loan given to be spent.

It is an investment loan given by the voter... The voter said, "I am investing in your future."

One must read the message well... The nation's message to us is: "I will watch you for four years... If I am satisfied, I will increase the credit and continue... Otherwise, I will call you back."

600 PEOPLE WILL GATHER ON APRIL 20-21

Continuing the conversation:

I will not show mercy to anyone who causes old diseases to recur.

After the holiday... I am telling you this for the first time... On April 20-21... We will gather all provincial chairmen and all mayors together... Approximately 600 people.

I will tell them this... We will get rid of old diseases... I will not let anyone darken Turkey's future with old diseases and internal strife.

"THERE ARE 2 FORWARDS ON THE TEAM"

Coach Özgür Özel... And some details about the team:

There are currently two forwards on the team... One is Mansur Yavaş, the other is Ekrem İmamoğlu... But many new figures are also shining.

It is important to build the best team from these names.

When a penalty is won in the last minute of the match, the coach does not say, "Let me take it"... He lets his most in-form player take it.

Our mayors will do very good work among themselves... And when the day comes, one of our friends will be the presidential candidate.

There are many positions in Turkey that can serve all of us.

LEADER... COACH

There will be pluralism in politics... It is natural.

But... Politics also has its own discipline.

We brought this up with Özgür Özel.

Multi-headedness... Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's office... Relations with Ekrem İmamoğlu... Those who talk from the outside... Those who give advice... A difficult process.

How will Mr. Özgür manage this process?

I had a long phone conversation with Altan Öymen... We are in long consultations with Hikmet Çetin.

Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu, like our previous chairmen, will guide us with his experience.

The presence, experience, and warnings of previous chairmen are very valuable to us.

I see the chairmanship like coaching in football... He will build the best team... He will assign the right person to the right place.

HOW ARE HIS RELATIONS WITH EKREM İMAMOĞLU?

Relations with Ekrem İmamoğlu... We had to ask.

The answer:

There is literally a law of brotherhood between us... There is a law of friendship... Because we both believe in the same thing... To make Atatürk's party the ruling power in the second century of the Republic.

For this, whoever needs to take responsibility will take it... Whoever needs to make a sacrifice will make it."