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Mahmut Tanal responds to Greece controversy with documentation

CHP MP Mahmut Tanal, who was alleged to have been vacationing in Greece during the Eid al-Adha holiday, denied the claims in a statement on his social media account. Tanal shared documents and records showing that he only rested while bringing his car back to Turkey.

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A photo posted on social media by CHP Şanlıurfa MP Mahmut Tanal from Greece has sparked heated debate in political circles. While social media accounts close to the government brought up the claim that Tanal was on vacation abroad during the crisis within the CHP, Tanal responded to these allegations with a detailed explanation.

 

Tanal stated that he did not go abroad for a vacation, but rather to bring back his vehicle to Turkey, which he had been forced to leave behind in Albania recently. The MP explained that he was in Albania during the extraordinary developments that followed the "absolute nullity" decision within the CHP, which led to the expiration of the powers of the party administration and Chairman Özgür Özel. He noted that he took the first flight to Ankara as soon as he received the news, and was forced to leave his car in Tirana.

Tanal stated that on his return journey, he visited the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in Thessaloniki, which was on his route. He expressed that this visit took place during a rest break and was completely transparent.

 

Tanal stated the following in his explanation:

"I was not in Turkey during the period when the judicial process regarding the Republican People's Party (CHP) Congress and the subsequent developments were being planned. My vehicle was in Albania, and I was traveling by land through the Balkans. Due to the call from our Headquarters and the Group Deputy Chairmanship election, I left my vehicle in a safe place in Tirana, the capital of Albania. I then traveled to Ankara by air. Esenboğa Airport records clearly and explicitly show this. After the election was completed and following the interventions directed at our Headquarters, I boarded a plane from Esenboğa Airport again and returned to Tirana. Now, I am returning to Turkey by land, having retrieved the vehicle I left behind. The entry-exit records in my passport, flight records, and all official documents are there for all to see. There is nothing hidden. Despite this, I am astonished to see that an attempt is being made to create a perception operation based on my resting for a few hours at a hotel. After departing from Albania, I took a break in Thessaloniki following a long and exhausting journey. During this time, I visited the house where Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born. I met with Ministry of Culture officials and Consulate staff. Everything is clear. Everything is transparent. Everything is on record. Now I ask: Why is my resting for a few hours due to travel fatigue being blown so far out of proportion?"

Were you expecting me to stay behind the wheel while sleep-deprived, cause a traffic accident, and endanger my own life or the lives of others? Traffic rules mandate that drivers rest when necessary. This is not a preference; it is a responsibility. Throughout my life, I have been a person who respects the law, rules, and public order. Resting during a journey is my most natural right. If everyone has the right to rest, I also have the right to rest. Making a few hours of sleep in a hotel a subject of debate is talking about perceptions, not facts. I was not on vacation. I was not out for entertainment. I was on a land journey of thousands of kilometers. Furthermore, even if you were to accept for a moment that I was on vacation; is this a crime? Is this a sin? Is this immoral? To which conscience, which morality, and which understanding of law does it conform to try to portray people resting, sleeping, and ensuring road safety as a crime?

Politics should not be this dirty. Politics should not be this demoralized. An understanding that becomes so desperate as to turn a person staying in a hotel and sleeping for a few hours into political material has nothing to offer the nation. There is no theft here, no corruption, no bribery, no action causing public loss, nor any behavior that harms another person's rights or legal standing. I ask: Did I commit theft? Did I take a bribe? Did I engage in corruption? Did I violate someone's rights? Did I attempt to take someone's life? No. The only thing I did was to rest during a land journey of thousands of kilometers, prioritizing traffic safety and human life. What should be questioned is not my few hours of rest, but the mindset that tries to extract political rent and political material from it. Protecting human life is a responsibility.

Trying to portray this as a crime is unscrupulous. I have just woken up. I saw the posts made on social media. After I have my breakfast, I will set off from Greece towards Turkey.

When the facts are this clear, turning an ordinary rest break that prioritizes people's safety into a subject of political debate is the clearest indicator of how much politics has been polluted."