He shifted gears as the election approaches: There was no one Bahçeli did not target at the group meeting

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli made statements at his party's group meeting.

Bahçeli's statements are as follows:

LOCAL ELECTION AND CONGRESS STATEMENT

"There are 2 important turning points for us. The first turning point is our grand congress on March 17. The three crescents have been the banner of unity for the Turkish nation for 55 years. Our 14th ordinary grand congress will carry the consciousness of the new century. Whoever shoulders the cause, takes risks, and does not choose to hide but stands up to all kinds of attacks is dear to me; our path is one with them.

The 2nd political turning point is the March 31 elections. We have determined 165 of our candidates so far. We will present the names we are working on to the public gradually.

"THINGS HAVE GOTTEN QUITE COMPLICATED IN THE CHP"

Things have gotten quite complicated in the CHP, and the crisis in candidate identification has come to light. The CHP, which is 'brewed' from within and fed from the outside, has completely lost its direction.

Since '84, many martyrs and veterans have been given in the fight against terrorism. The will of our nation, which is a victim of terrorism, is sufficient to hold the 'brewed' CHP to account. The ballot box power of our soldiers, police, village guards, martyrs, and veterans' families must be far above the votes the current CHP will receive. This is what is natural. The difference between the nation that carries the coffins of martyrs and those who are 'brewed' with separatist votes must be brought to light. Purging the CHP from local administrations and removing it from municipalities is a matter of democratic honor.

The manifestation of local administrations in harmony with the central government is a direct service to the goals of the Century of Turkey. We are candidates for this sacred service. We are ready with all our means."

TARGETED ZÜLFÜ LİVANELİ

Bahçeli reacted harshly to the words of artist Zülfü Livaneli at an Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) program: “March 31 is not the same day because the date has shifted, but it is still symbolic March 31... In the local elections, either the reactionary armies, the hunter battalions, or the army of movement will win.”

MHP leader Bahçeli used the following expressions regarding Livaneli:

"A person who spoke at the 'Bright Faces of the Republic' awards ceremony has settled into a worthless mind. He says either reactionary armies or the army of movement will win on March 31. There is no reactionary army in Turkey, there is the heroic Turkish Armed Forces. No one has heard or seen any hunter battalions. Not a single objection came from the İBB mayor, who listened to Livaneli's distortion with a smile. They are two of a kind.

These are a new generation of bigoted mentalities that meet in their opposition to Turkey and despise the ballot box. Calling the nation reactionary is an insult. It is looking at Turkey from behind. Calling the nation reactionary is unadulterated baseness. My brothers and sisters in Istanbul will give the answer to these Pharaoh-like words at the ballot box. On March 31, Istanbul will get its wish. The liberation from those who act arrogantly will be on March 31.

What my brothers and sisters in Istanbul should do to the person who acts as a seasonal mayor and appears under every rock is to send him away from Saraçhane. He should never dare to steal the years of the people of Istanbul again. The unfortunate history of other cities will also change with the People's Alliance.

We will meet with our nation in every corner of our homeland. We will lift the dead weight from local administrations and end the interregnum period."

HARSH WORDS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL COURT PRESIDENT ZÜHTÜ ARSLAN

“I would like to ask Mr. Zühtü, who says 'there is no justification for not implementing Constitutional Court decisions,' whether you and the court members who think like you have any explanation for the blood shed by our martyrs and the tears of our mothers who are crying out in agony?

You are worried about a wrong court decision, we are worried about the sacred homeland. You and those like you are in the cage of PKK law, we are in pursuit of the law of existence and independence of the Republic of Turkey. We are as different as night and day.

We also want the Atalay decision to be read in the Turkish Grand National Assembly immediately. A strategy for combating separatism must be prepared."