AKP's Muğla candidate, former CHP deputy Aydın Ayaydın, responds to criticism: 'Not voting for them is one thing...'

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan officially announced his party's 26 mayoral candidates at a program held at the Haliç Congress Center on January 7.

Among the candidates, the most notable names were Nebi Hatipoğlu, who switched from the IYI Party to the AKP, and former CHP Istanbul deputy Aydın Ayaydın.

Ayaydın, who was nominated for the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality, responded to the criticism regarding his candidacy.

HE HAD SAID "I NEVER VOTED FOR THEM"

Ayaydın, who said in a television program he attended in August 2022, "I have never voted for the AK Party in 22 years," spoke to Sözcü columnist İsmail Saymaz.

Responding to the question of "why he accepted the candidacy for a party he did not vote for," Ayaydın stated, "I had ended my political career. I did not accept this to engage in politics. I accepted it because it is local government and to solve the problems of Muğla. One should not think of this as politics."

"I ACCEPTED BECAUSE I THOUGHT I COULD SUCCEED IN THE AK PARTY"

In response to the question of why he did not consider the CHP, Ayaydın said, "I became more convinced that I could do it within the AK Party," adding, "As someone from Bodrum, I accepted because I thought that a party that does not bring services to Bodrum and Muğla would not solve these issues, and that I could succeed in the AK Party."

Stating that it has been 1-2 years since he ended his CHP membership, Ayaydın said, "I am not thinking in terms of politics. I set out to solve the accumulated problems of Muğla. When I am elected, I will have accepted the party's views."

"I DID NOT SAY 'I DID NOT BELIEVE' IN THE AK PARTY'S VIEWS"

Regarding the question, "Doesn't this mean defending views you don't believe in?" Ayaydın replied, "Who said I didn't believe in them? I didn't say 'I didn't believe.' Not voting for them is one thing. I didn't vote for them because I was in another political party. I voted for the AK Party in the last election. The statement mentioned was before May 14. It is true that I did not vote for them until that date."

"THE OFFER CAME FROM ERDOĞAN"

Stating that the offer came from AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ayaydın said, "I asked for 15 days. During this time, I spoke with people living in Bodrum and Muğla. They all said, 'One should not think of this as politics. This is an opportunity for the problems of Muğla. It will contribute to the solution of the problems.' I reached this conclusion because they approached it positively. I accepted during my second meeting."

Reacting to the criticism regarding his daughter being a deputy, Ayaydın said, "I do not agree with that criticism. My daughter is in central politics, and I am in local politics. We are independent of each other."