Notable move from CHP during DEM Party visit: Call made by citing 'necessity'

CHP Group Deputy Chair Gökhan Günaydın, CHP Deputy Chair for Legal Policies Gökçe Gökçen, and Deputy Chair for Election Policies Meryem Gül Çiftçi Binici visited the DEM Party. A statement was made to the press following the meeting between the CHP delegation and DEM Party Group Deputy Chair Sezai Temelli, DEM Party Antalya MP Hakkı Saruhan Oluç, and Tunceli MP Ayten Kordu.

Arguing that there is a very serious economic and governance problem in Turkey, Günaydın said, "It would be beneficial for the AK Party, which does not meet the demand for an early election, to remember Article 78 of the Constitution. Because a by-election is not a preference, but a necessity. Article 78 of the Constitution says: 'If 30 months have passed since the last general elections and there is one year left until the next one, a by-election shall be held within this period if there are vacancies in Parliament.' Our MPs from Kırıkkale, Afyon, Adıyaman, and Kastamonu resigned to run in the local elections and were elected mayors. This means there is a vacancy in these four seats. There is a vacancy in Kocaeli following the passing of Kocaeli MP Mr. Hasan Bitmez on the floor. Additionally, there are vacancies in the first district of Istanbul due to the late Sırrı Süreyya Önder and the fact that Murat Kurum has become a minister. Therefore, the necessary conditions for holding a by-election have been met," he said.

When asked about a snap election, Günaydın said, "Whatever they call it, whether it's a snap election or an early election, let them make the decision immediately and let's bring the ballot box before the nation. Let the nation express its will. If they are trying to place this after an attempt to throw their rivals out of the ring by committing a foul, in other words, by a nullity decision, this would not be an environment for democratic struggle. For a year and a half, a different conspiracy has been plotted against the Republican People's Party every day. Those conspiracies are sometimes directed at our MPs, and sometimes at the institutional identity of our party," he stated.

ÖZKAN YALIM'S TESTIMONY

In response to a question regarding the testimony of the detained former Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım, Günaydın replied, "They are making a great effort to exploit Özkan Yalım for everything he is worth. Did these things come to their minds again after his latest testimony that they took him and brought him to Istanbul and made him give new testimony? It is extremely simple to understand what they are trying to achieve with the way Özkan Yalım is being made to testify. We have been involved in these matters for years. We will fend all of this off. However, I must be very clear. It is revealed in Özkan Yalım's latest testimony. There is clear slander there against our friends who are currently MPs and have served as Party Assembly members in the past. Of course, when we read this in the morning, we looked at the dates. The party held a trip in March 2018 to oppose the privatization of sugar factories. Our female MP friend, who is alleged to have been there on the mentioned date, was only a district administrator at the time."

"WE HAVE PRIORITIES SUCH AS PREPARING THE BILL TOGETHER"

DEM Party Group Deputy Chair Temelli said they expect Can Atalay to return to Parliament in accordance with the Constitutional Court's ruling. Regarding the question about parties submitting legislative proposals during the process of a terror-free Turkey, Temelli said, "It is not that difficult for us to submit our legislative proposal. But our priority is specifically the enrichment of the ground for democratic negotiation. Therefore, we have priorities such as preparing a legislative proposal together. Our call to all parties is in this direction. The formation of the commission was already an important ground for negotiation. We think it would be very, very important to revive this ground for negotiation, especially in a place where such an important law is being discussed," he said.