Nominated by the SMF for Kadıköy: Statement from the TKP on Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu!

TKP-affiliated Tunceli Mayor Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu has been announced as the candidate for Mayor of Kadıköy by the Socialist Assemblies Federation (SMF).

The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) has issued a written statement regarding Maçoğlu's candidacy in Kadıköy.

The statement, which notes that the evaluation process regarding the matter is ongoing, includes the phrase, "Following this stage, the TKP will complete its internal evaluation process as soon as possible."

The statement issued by the TKP included the following remarks;

"As is known, Mr. Maçoğlu is not a member of the TKP. In the 2014 and 2019 elections, he was nominated and elected from the TKP as the candidate of an alliance that included the TKP. A significant source of the excitement and interest generated by Maçoğlu is his nomination and election from the TKP. Furthermore, Mr. Maçoğlu's honest, hardworking, outspoken, and populist personality has helped increase the legitimacy of communism in general and the influence of the TKP in particular. The Communist Party of Turkey and the Socialist Assemblies Federation, of which Mr. Maçoğlu is also a member, have entered into an evaluation process to carry this interest and excitement to further points in the 2024 local elections. This evaluation carries a different and unique character for both the TKP and the SMF compared to other topics regarding the local elections. The SMF has completed its evaluation process, which includes which alliances they will act with in a series of localities in the elections and their approach regarding Mr. Maçoğlu, and has shared it with the public. Accordingly, a view has emerged regarding Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu's candidacy for the Istanbul-Kadıköy mayoralty from the Communist Party of Turkey.

The Communist Party of Turkey's evaluation process regarding the subject is ongoing. We believe it is necessary to reflect the main points of these evaluations, which we have shared in detail and in a sincere manner with both Mr. Maçoğlu and the SMF representatives, to the public.

We have been exchanging views with our friends on this subject for more than a year. However, Kadıköy was not a district on the TKP's agenda in this context. While our party has a strong organization in Kadıköy that is the product of years of work, it acted with the thought that Mr. Maçoğlu should be a candidate in other districts in Istanbul or Izmir. Undoubtedly, we respect the preferences of Mr. Maçoğlu and the SMF on this matter.

EVALUATION REGARDING KADIKÖY

Following this stage, the TKP will complete its internal evaluation process as soon as possible.

It is clear that this assessment is a necessity not only for the TKP but for all alliance components. Another important dimension of our evaluation will be regarding the Kadıköy proposal. In its preliminary evaluation, our party is of the opinion that a new, convincing, and energizing example can be presented to Turkey in Kadıköy with a solid and revolutionary program, a work culture based on collective intelligence rather than individuals, and a competent team that is well-versed in Kadıköy's problems and its ideological-cultural structure. Only in this way can the difficulties and the attempts at obstruction we have encountered many times before be overcome. In this context, the TKP has the desire and ability to mobilize its intelligence, organization, and cadres. What is important is the creation of a healthy foundation as soon as possible and the implementation of a different style of work in a political atmosphere where populism and lack of principles are rampant. The essence of the TKP's evaluation process consists of the creation of this foundation."

SMF'S STATEMENT

The Socialist Assemblies Federation stated in a release on Friday, "We have decided that our comrade Maçoğlu will enter the local elections in Istanbul's Kadıköy district as the joint candidate of democratic, left-socialist forces under the umbrella of the TKP."