His salute to Erdoğan had become a talking point: Hasan Ufuk Çakır, who transferred from CHP to AKP, speaks for the first time

Hasan Ufuk Çakır, who resigned from the CHP and recently joined the ranks of the AKP, made headlines after giving a military salute to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Following this salute, which drew reactions from some circles, Çakır responded to the criticisms and allegations.

In his statement, Çakır said, "According to the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, Erdoğan is the commander-in-chief. The first commander-in-chief is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and then, in accordance with the constitution, the second commander-in-chief is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I just expressed this and saluted my commander-in-chief. There is no situation to be frowned upon here. If I hadn't commemorated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, this time it would have been a subject of criticism in another way," he stated.

Çakır also reacted to the heavy accusations against him. Stating that he did not deviate from the constitutional framework in what he said, Çakır said, "There were those who slandered me with expressions like dishonorable, thief, base, and car thief. It's a good thing there is no 'Hell Party'; if there were, we would have joined that. I only said what is written in the constitution. In fact, in the old constitution, the title 'başbuğ' (leader) was also used for the president. Therefore, there is nothing strange about the salute I gave," he said.

Reminding that he is a figure who has received votes from AKP and MHP voters, Çakır expressed that it was not realistic to expect him to switch to different parties. "What were those who wanted me to continue in the CHP aiming for? Staying in the CHP or staying out of politics meant the same thing. I was expected to join the IYI Party or the Zafer Party. I, on the other hand, toured the region and shook hands with approximately 11 thousand people. When I asked, only 17 people pointed to the IYI Party, and the remaining majority answered, 'You should join the AK Party.' It is unthinkable for me to ignore the demands of the voters," he said.

Upon the question of whether he was offered any promises while switching to the AKP, Çakır stated, "Never. I have never had such a transaction with anyone. My only goal is to serve the nation.", he declared.

Çakır also claimed that he did not face a major backlash after joining the AKP and continued his words as follows: "The reactions are coming from the '68 generation. Our paths didn't cross much with them anyway. I had won over the nationalist and conservative segment for the CHP, and now I think the votes I received are returning to their rightful owner. CHP MP Cemal Enginyurt says he does not forgive me. Yet, do the MHP members forgive the votes they gave to him?"

Additionally, a detail regarding Çakır's family has also come to the agenda again. In a street interview conducted about 10 months ago, his mother and relatives drew attention with the words, "We voted for our son, but we are in the organization, our vote is for Erdoğan," and expressed their support for President Erdoğan.