Allegations that Cemil Tugay will join the AKP protested in İzmir: Police intervention in Alsancak demonstration
The march by the İzmir Labor and Democracy Forces in Alsancak was blocked by police; the group held its statement in front of the Türkan Saylan Cultural Center.
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Allegations that İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay would join the AKP on October 7, following the mayors of Çiğli and Foça, were protested in the city.
Representatives of unions, professional chambers, political parties, and non-governmental organizations, who gathered in Alsancak at the call of the İzmir Labor and Democracy Forces, wanted to hold a march. The police did not allow the group's march; a brief tension occurred during the intervention.
The protest was supported by TMMOB, the İzmir Bar Association, KESK, DİSK, and the İzmir Medical Chamber, as well as various political parties and non-governmental organizations. According to information in the sources, New Party İzmir Provincial Chair Çağatay Güç and İzmir deputies Ümit Özlale, Murat Bakan, Seda Kaya Ösen, Deniz Yücel, Ednan Arslan, Tuncay Özkan, and Yüksel Taşkın were also among those who participated in the protest.
In the protest, which started in front of the ÖSYM building in Alsancak, reactions were shown against the recent party changes by mayors and the allegations regarding Cemil Tugay's potential move to the AKP. After the police blocked the march, the group made a press statement in front of the Türkan Saylan Cultural Center.
EMPHASIS ON VOTER WILL IN THE STATEMENT
In the press statement, it was argued that the fact that many mayors elected from different parties have joined the AKP cannot be seen merely as a personal political preference. Pointing to the examples of Çiğli and Foça, the statement expressed that the party changes occurring after the election alter the political meaning of the voter's will.
The statement said, "The issue is not just about which party a person is a member of. The issue is that the political meaning of the vote cast by the voter is being attempted to be changed after the election."
Stating that the allegations regarding Cemil Tugay should also be evaluated within this framework, the statement emphasized opposition to the transfer of the voter's mandate to another political line. The statement noted that there is an objection to politics being surrendered to "office bargaining, political transfers, and personal ambition calculations."