Erdoğan's local election admission: 'The nation gave us a reality check'

President Erdoğan made statements at his party's 8th Ordinary Provincial Congress in Kahramanmaraş.

Key highlights from Erdoğan's remarks:

Maraş's heroism is not just in its name, not just in its language, not just in its courage; it is in its blood, its soul, its heart, and its DNA. Maraş's heroism lies in its dignified stance against pain and disasters. Maraş's heroism is its ability to overcome disasters and suffering without clamor, in a manner befitting its nature.

This heroic city... This brave city... This city, the pioneer of the War of Independence... This city, kneaded with determination, knowledge, wisdom, and love for the homeland and nation, was unfortunately shaken and destroyed in the February 6 earthquakes, and it gave many of its children to the bosom of the black earth. On this occasion, I once again wish God's mercy upon my brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the earthquake, and I offer my condolences to the people of Maraş and our nation. In particular, I remember with mercy our Kahramanmaraş Women's Branch Provincial Chair, Ms. Gül Çitil Okur, along with her husband and daughter. I pray that the Almighty grants you the strength to endure your losses and gives you patience.

"WE WILL NEVER LEAVE KAHRAMANMARAŞ HALFWAY"

We have not left, we are not leaving, and we will never leave Kahramanmaraş, which is our other half, halfway, with God's permission. With the belief that sorrows diminish when shared and joys multiply when shared, we unite our hearts and bind our souls to one another. May the Almighty protect our country, our nation, and our cities from all kinds of disasters, calamities, and hostility. May the Almighty make this affection of ours, which overflows from these halls, eternal.

"WE ARE REBUILDING MARAŞ TOGETHER"

Great sorrows, along with the major consequences they cause, represent critical turning points in the destinies of nations. The late Orhan Şaik Gökyay, who previously described the pain Maraş suffered as an epic, says: "When I saw Maraş, I burned, I was scorched, I became blood and tears, I was poured from my face and eyes, I bent like a hair falling into a room. Is this the Maraş I knew? Is it Maraş, is it fire, or is it stone?"

With God's permission, we have left those dark days behind. We are rebuilding the prosperous and thriving Maraş we know and love together, as if it were being reborn from its ashes.

"WE DELIVERED OUR 155 THOUSANDTH RESIDENCE TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNER"

Before coming to our congress, we held the drawing ceremony for our earthquake residences. By drawing the lot for our 155 thousandth residence, we handed over the key to our rightful brother/sister. 3,499 of these residences were in Kahramanmaraş. Furthermore, we are starting the construction of a large sports complex in our city, which will also include a 17,500-capacity stadium. I wish both our residences and our sports facility to be beneficial to you in advance.

Erdoğan also touched upon the March 31 local election results and said they would learn lessons from the election results.

"THE FORMER CHP CHAIRMAN WAS AT THE HEAD OF THESE HARBINGERS OF DOOM"

If you recall, some people, in order to push our nation into a swamp of despair, expressed the anger in their hearts by insulting our earthquake victims. These same circles did not stop there; they fueled the lie that it was impossible to rebuild our cities in order to make the wounds bleed even more. The former CHP Chairman was at the head of these harbingers of doom.

So, what happened next? The very person who told us we would "remain under the rubble" ended up "bye-bye" after being left under the ballot box first, and then under the party congress ballot box. Now, there is no one looking at his face, knocking on his door, or holding a microphone to him. He constantly attacks us to gain prominence and get on the agenda. But attacking us no longer provides him with any benefit.

"THE CONCEPT OF 'CONSTRUCTIVE OPPOSITION' DOES NOT EXIST IN THEIR DICTIONARY"

Unfortunately, the new chairman continues the bad legacy of the former chairman in the same way. The concept of "constructive opposition" does not exist in their dictionary. They are either blocking the work being done or trying absurd ways to break the nation's hopes.

We are facing a mentality that denies the new settlements rising before their eyes, from housing to hospitals, from schools to parks. They have no work to show for themselves that they can point to; but when it comes to throwing mud and demoralizing the nation, mashallah, they are always in the front ranks. As the saying goes, "If the Creator does not give, what can Sultan Mahmud do?" We have nothing we can do about them either.

The best answer that can be given to those who have eyes but do not see, and who know the truth but do not speak, is the prayers of our citizens who have settled into their homes. I thank our public institutions, non-governmental organizations, workers, firms, and everyone who has put their heart into this city, working day and night to get Maraş back on its feet.

Likewise, I express my gratitude to every member of our organization who has worked selflessly during this difficult process, rushing to close wounds, repair hearts, and soothe spirits.

"WE ARE HOLDING OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE IN EVERY FIELD"

The AK Party is a party founded by the nation, directed by the nation, brought to power by the nation, supported by the nation like a mountain in every crisis it has faced, enamored by the nation's politics of democracy, rights, freedom, works, and services, and, so to speak, "given a reality check" by the nation when it falters. To speak with an open heart, we see the results of the local elections as such a "reality check."

The nation has conveyed its messages to us very clearly through the ballot box. We have taken the messages from the ballot box and held them in high regard. Without falling into complexes and never resorting to taking the easy way out, we are holding ourselves accountable in every field. We are preparing for work that will complete our shortcomings, correct our mistakes, and strengthen our vision.

"WE ARE A POLITICAL MOVEMENT THAT BELIEVES CHANGE IS A NATURAL PART OF POLITICS"

You cannot see another party in the history of the Republic whose destiny, actions, and cadres have been so intertwined with the nation. It was the AK Party's destiny to take the path opened by the late Menderes and the late Özal to the summit. We are a political movement that believes change, like every area of life, is a natural part of politics.

"CADRES CHANGE IN OUR PARTY, OUR PASSION DOES NOT"

That is why we say... Cadres change in our party, our passion does not. Cadres change in our party, our love for serving the nation does not. Cadres change in our party, our commitment to our state, our homeland, and our flag does not. Cadres change in our party, our goal of carrying Turkey into the future in unity and solidarity, stronger than ever before in its history, does not change. Cadres change in our party, our determination and will to build the Century of Turkey will never change.

"WE ASPIRE TO SERVE THIS NATION"

For this reason, we see our congresses as opportunities for renewal and opening doors to new beginnings, just like nature that comes back to life every spring. Every step we take toward sharpening our determination, sprouting our passion, thickening our love, and refreshing our hopes is an expression of our gratitude to our nation. As we always say, we did not come to act as masters over this nation. We aspire to serve this nation. As long as the Almighty grants us life, we will not stray from the path of serving the nation.

"WHOEVER LOOKS DOWN ON THIS NATION IS NOT ONE OF US"

Whoever looks down on this nation, belittling our people for their faith, their headscarf, their customs, their attire, or their speech, is not one of us. Whoever divides this nation based on its origin or lifestyle, polarizing our people, is likewise not one of us. I want our entire organization to know this: Our life has been spent fighting against rootless imitators and parasites who exploit the state and the nation like ticks. Our life has been spent tearing down towers of arrogance that see themselves as superior to the nation and the national will. Our life has been spent putting Jacobins who practice populism despite the people in their place. We will not break this stance until our last breath.

"AS THE AK PARTY, WE WILL NOT FALL INTO THIS TRAP"

The late Alija Izetbegović says, "A war is not lost when you die, but when you become like the enemy." Do not forget that the race in politics is not lost when your votes decrease at the ballot box, but when you take on the character of those you are fighting against. As the AK Party, we will not fall into this trap. If there are those among us who have lost their way or become confused, we will win them back and embrace them again by inevitably drawing them to the right path, into the circle of our cause, and into the ranks of our civilization struggle.

"WE DO NOT HAVE A SINGLE PERSON, A SINGLE CITIZEN, A SINGLE FRIEND TO LOSE"

I say it again, emphasizing it. Politics is a mobilization to enter hearts. The path to success in politics is not through losing people, but through winning them. We will grow by uniting, not by separating. We will get stronger by adding to our ranks, not by pushing away. We do not have a single person, a single citizen, a single friend to lose. Since our goal is to enter the hearts of all 85 million of our citizens, we will start with our close circle, our own cadres.

"WE WILL TRANSFORM THE AK PARTY INTO THE PARTY OF HOPE AND ACTION, JUST AS IT HAS BEEN FOR THE LAST 22 YEARS"

We have almost completed our district congresses, which we started on October 12. We said "bismillah" to our 8th Ordinary Provincial Congresses in Kahramanmaraş. We need to turn our congresses into the signal flares of this mobilization, of this race. This is the only way we can establish a new understanding of politics, a new vision, a new political program, and a new excitement that will keep the AK Party above the 50 percent band. In short, through both construction and revival methods, we will transform the AK Party into the party of hope and action in the coming periods, just as it has been for the last 22 years. Hopefully, we will achieve this all together.

Details are coming...