İYİ Party's Turhan Çömez targets İmamoğlu: 'Starting to resemble Erdoğan...'

İYİ Party Balıkesir mayoral candidate Turhan Çömez made statements regarding the current agenda.

Speaking to İpek Özbey from Sözcü, Çömez stated that he believes they will win Balıkesir. In response to criticisms that he would split the CHP's vote, he replied, "I am not a candidate to split votes, but to gather and consolidate them. I know I will receive votes from every segment, and I know that a significant group of people who are not satisfied with the AKP will also support us."

"CHP'S MAIN OPPOSITION IS ITSELF, NOT US"

In response to Özbey's question, "After the Nation Alliance dissolved, the İYİ Party's target has become its former partner, the CHP. Ms. Akşener frequently criticizes the CHP at group meetings or in public squares. How do you evaluate the fact that this alliance dissolved in such a short time and the point that has been reached?", Çömez's answer was as follows:

"At the point we have reached, it was important and necessary for the country to be saved from a two-poled and alliance-based politics, and for our nation to be pulled out from between two fists; we did that. In the coming period, what conditions require and what the country needs will be evaluated on that day. As for our criticism of the CHP... As I just stated, everyone is criticized, and they should be. We are also criticized, and we follow these carefully and learn lessons. On the other hand, the CHP's main opposition is itself, not us. Unfortunately, the CHP management has turned into a three-legged stool model. The internal discussions that are reflected and not reflected to the public are actually more intense than the criticisms or evaluations we make openly."

"IT SADDENED ME TO SEE İMAMOĞLU STARTING TO RESEMBLE ERDOĞAN"

In response to the question, "How did the photos of Akşener and İmamoğlu embracing, which went down in literature as the 'Saraçhane alliance,' reach the point today of 'We are being censored not by the Palace, but by Saraçhane'?", Çömez replied:

"Both Ms. Akşener and I were present in Pınarhisar and Saraçhane. Because there was injustice in both, and we stand tall against injustice without any 'ifs' or 'buts,' and we will continue to do so. The Saraçhane photo will go down in the history of Turkish democracy. That morning, I had a meeting with Ms. Akşener. After a general evaluation, I set off for Istanbul. A while later, she called me and stated that she would go to support Istanbul, emphasizing the injustice of the decision made regarding Mr. İmamoğlu. I expressed that I wanted to join, and we met in Saraçhane. To me, this picture was an example of leadership, an example of sincerity, but it truly saddened me to see that Ekrem Bey has started to resemble Erdoğan at the point reached today. An approach that applies censorship to billboards that have already been paid for did not suit Mr. İmamoğlu."

BILLBOARD CONTROVERSY BETWEEN CHP AND İYİ PARTY

Çömez also said he was certain that the billboards were blocked by the CHP.

Çömez stated that the company they had an agreement with said they "could not hang the billboards" and that they were under pressure from the municipality. Çömez said, "They made statements like 'The billboards were criticizing us, that's why they were blocked.' Turkey is noting these down; Turkish democracy is recording everything that has happened, and with our nation as a witness."