Erdoğan speaks at the AKP Extended Provincial Chairs Meeting: The goal is 'Istanbul Again'

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the AKP Extended Provincial Chairs Meeting.

Furthermore, today CHP leader Özgür Özel visited IYI Party Chair Meral Akşener at the IYI Party headquarters, and Akşener pointed to the GIK (General Administrative Board) for 'cooperation.' While Erdoğan did not make a statement on the matter, he said, "Our goal is to bring our cities, which have been in a vortex of lack of service for 5 years, especially Istanbul and Ankara, together with real municipalism. 'Istanbul Again' will be one of our slogans."

Highlights from Erdoğan's remarks are as follows:

MESSAGE ON THE PEOPLE'S ALLIANCE

"Our campaign team has started its work. Our negotiations with the MHP are continuing in a positive direction, on an axis of understanding and respect. The colleagues we have assigned are in constant contact with their counterparts. We also hosted Mr. Devlet Bahçeli at our complex yesterday. We held a productive meeting. We are determined to carry our alliance, which was established in the squares on the night of July 15, into the future by further strengthening it against the enemies of the national will."

REACTION TO THE ISTANBUL METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY (IBB)

Our goal is to bring our cities, which have been in a vortex of lack of service for 5 years, especially Istanbul and Ankara, together with real municipalism. 'Istanbul Again' will be one of our slogans. Istanbul has reached a point where it longs for its old days. They could not even continue the projects we started and brought to a certain stage. They have no achievements other than renewing billboards. Unfortunately, dear Istanbul has turned into a city that tires its residents under the management of incompetent CHP members. The people of Istanbul sing the 'Black Train' folk song every day. Today, our Istanbulite brothers and sisters are waiting for buses, metrobus, and subways with their eyes on the road, but none of them arrive on time. Even if they do arrive, they break down on the way. They do not know how to serve the citizens. 

GOAL IS TO WIN BY A LANDSLIDE

They do not know how to serve the citizens. Citizens are almost ready to sacrifice an animal just because asphalt was laid, a park was built, or a pothole was filled. In some places, when they hear that their mayors have come to their cities, they are as happy as if they had seen a friend they hadn't seen in 40 years. God willing, we will save our nation from this predicament together at the end of March. We will not allow our cities to lose another 5 years. We are preparing for another election where we have no option other than winning by an overwhelming margin.

The opposition has resorted to its usual weapons of lies and slander. We will give them the answer they deserve, both in our rhetoric and before the law, and put them in their place. We are also concerned that, for the sake of their political ambitions, they are picking at the social fault lines that were the cause of our country's troubles in the 1970s and 1990s. This mentality can only be an imitation of single-party fascism. The people of these countries were only subjected to such humiliation during that period. Because our nation started the revolution that demolished this fascist mentality, it keeps the Democrat Party and Menderes alive in its heart. Those looking for the secret behind the AK Party's nearly 30-year rule in municipalities and 21 years in government should look here first. Far from discriminating between people in the same city, we are the ones who equip every inch of land with works and services of the same standard. 

The expectations of our citizens from both the government and the municipalities have changed significantly. Infrastructure, health, jobs, and bread services are no longer enough. In a country that has increased employment to over 32 million, made education accessible to everyone at every stage, established a world-class health system, and completely renewed its infrastructure, we must naturally welcome people having such feelings. They say, 'It is your duty, of course you will do it.' Well, why didn't those who came before us do these things? Our citizens' expectation is that the state provides them with a higher standard of living. The Century of Turkey is the name of this goal. The same applies to municipal services. As the AK Party, our vision is very different. 

During the March 31 election campaign process, we will share our preparations with our nation and show the difference of the AK Party once again. We are not ignoring the difficulties in our people's daily lives. No one can deny that Turkey has been under insidious attacks in every field, from politics to security and the economy, for about 10 years. We have experienced everything from attempts to stir up the streets to coup attempts, from economic traps to political engineering. We managed to stay standing without collapsing. We are struggling with the negative effects of the crisis that started globally with the Covid-19 pandemic and deepened with the Russia-Ukraine war. We acted with an approach of investment, employment, production, and export. We have established many mechanisms to compensate for the cost of living and the decline in the welfare level of our low-income people. We did not hesitate to do whatever was necessary, even at the cost of straining ourselves.

MESSAGE ON THE ECONOMY

It is a fact that re-establishing balances in the economy takes time. For this, we are implementing programs that will save our economy from the scourge of inflation, patiently and decisively, without losing our focus on employment and investment. Protecting gains, compensating for losses, and ensuring that we do not drift away from our goals are our top priorities. Our country's greatest strength is maintaining a climate of trust and stability. We explained this truth to our nation in the May election, convinced them, and received their support. What has happened has proven how right we were. This is what we will do in the mayoral elections as well. We will explain to everyone that we want to accelerate the development of our cities by extending the stability in the government to the municipalities that are currently in a sorry state under the opposition. 

"NO ONE IN THIS PARTY, INCLUDING MYSELF, IS ABOVE ACCOUNTABILITY"

It is a fact that re-establishing balances in the economy takes time. For this, we are implementing programs that will save our economy from the scourge of inflation, patiently and decisively, without losing our focus on employment and investment. Protecting gains, compensating for losses, and ensuring that we do not drift away from our goals are our top priorities. Our country's greatest strength is maintaining a climate of trust and stability. We explained this truth to our nation in the May election, convinced them, and received their support. What has happened has proven how right we were. This is what we will do in the mayoral elections as well. We will explain to everyone that we want to accelerate the development of our cities by extending the stability in the government to the municipalities that are currently in a sorry state under the opposition. No one in this party, including myself, is above accountability. We will determine our mayoral candidates with this approach. The disgraces experienced in other parties cannot enter the doors of the AK Party. We need to hold on tightly to our party and its founding principles. We will show our nation that long years of power have not corrupted us. Our goal is to win almost all of the 1,393 municipalities in our country, including 30 metropolitan and 51 provincial ones, as the AK Party and the People's Alliance on March 31. In line with this goal, there is no 'you' or 'I', there is 'we'. Are we ready to work day and night until the election results are clear? We will reach the result without allowing the slightest complacency, weakness, or discord."