Sinan Oğan spoke about the May 14 elections: He clarified whether he received support!

Sinan Oğan, Chairman of the Turkey Alliance Party, who was the candidate of the Ata Alliance in the first round of the 2023 Presidential Elections and announced his support for Erdoğan in the second round, inaugurated his party's provincial headquarters in Çorum.

Oğan then answered journalists' questions regarding the country's agenda.

In his speech, Sinan Oğan said the following:

"The last three years of the Turkish economy have been lost years. The last 3 years of the Turkish economy were managed incorrectly by the current President and the economic administration. Now, the right things are being done, but we are carrying the burden of the last three years on our backs. There is a bill for the accumulated economic mismanagement, and the citizens are paying that bill today. There are steps taken by Mr. Mehmet Şimşek, but they are insufficient. It is not just the citizens who should bear this burden; the public sector must also take responsibility. Austerity measures in the public sector must be implemented immediately without any concessions. A total economic mobilization must be launched, and our people should not have to suffer the consequences of this economy any longer. We are talking about an economic crisis that can be corrected today."

Answering journalists' questions after the opening, Oğan said the following regarding the economy:

"We are all currently suffering the consequences of the wrong economic policy, especially over the last three years. We, as the entire Turkish Nation—not just those who voted for the government or the opposition—are the victims of the wrong economic policy today. The policy currently being implemented by Mehmet Şimşek is correct but incomplete. What is correct? He is trying to manage the economy according to its conditions. He is trying to stabilize it. What is incomplete? Public austerity. Without fully implementing austerity measures in the public sector, this economic program has no chance of success. Austerity measures must be applied to everything you can think of, from flashy openings and large public expenditures to the fleets of rental vehicles that cost millions of liras, and everything in between.

An initiative has been started on this, but it is incomplete. I think Mr. Mehmet Şimşek is doing the right things but is doing them incompletely. The Palace is also included in these savings. Look, austerity cannot be achieved just by Ministry A or Municipality B. Austerity must be a whole. From the very top to the very bottom, of course, the Presidential Complex must save, ministries must save, and municipalities must save. There are no elections for four years now. Without the concern of election investment or election spending, Turkey must launch a comprehensive austerity movement, and everyone from the President down to the most remote local unit must comply with it."

THE REFUGEE PROBLEM MUST BE SOLVED

Oğan responded as follows to a question regarding the government's policy on refugees and asylum seekers:

"We always foresaw that we would face such a threat. We always express this. The refugee issue is a very high-priority and sensitive matter for us. I spoke with the relevant authorities just last night; serious work is being done on this issue. Even though it is not shared much with the public, I criticize this. The right things being done should be shared with the public, and the refugee issue should be removed from Turkey's agenda.

I am making a call from here; the discrimination in hospitals against Syrians in front of the public must be eliminated. In other words, many Syrian refugees have become businessmen, yet these masses still benefit from state hospitals free of charge. This is not right. This must be abolished. The refugee issue in Turkey must be resolved in a way that befits human dignity and the dignity of the Turkish Nation."

I HAVE MY OWN EFFORT IN EVERY SQUARE METER

Oğan gave the following response to the question, "Dubious claims were made during the process of supporting the People's Alliance in the second round of the presidential elections. Did you receive any financial support?":

"The house we live in now is a place we bought in 2020, which we shared on my Instagram accounts, and a place where I have my own effort in every square meter. Unfortunately, people expect you to have received something. I mean, you can provide support for the stability and future of the country without receiving anything. One side says they offered you a vice presidency. You didn't accept it; Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu offered it. We did not provide support by bargaining for anything.

If we had reached a positive agreement with Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu—which we would not have done in exchange for anything—if we had seen that they had the parliamentary majority, if we had seen that they kept their distance from the HDP, and if, despite 22 years, they had not come in second but first in the first round of the presidential elections, then we would have supported them; why wouldn't we?"