‘Murat Kurum’ crisis in YRP! Was his resignation requested? Doğan Aydal responds to 12punto

Samet SAĞLAM - 12punto.com.tr

As the local elections approach, a candidacy issue is being experienced between the People's Alliance parties, the AKP and the New Welfare Party (YRP). Statements made by Deputy Chairman Doğan Aydal regarding the AKP and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) candidate Murat Kurum have created a crisis between the two parties. It was alleged that Aydal, whose statements drew backlash, was asked to resign. Aydal responded to the allegations to 12punto.

No decision has yet been reached in the alliance negotiations between the YRP and the AKP. In particular, the harsh remarks of YRP officials against the AKP in Istanbul are drawing attention. One of these names was Deputy Chairman Prof. Dr. Doğan Aydal. In a live broadcast on Halk TV, Aydal made harsh criticisms of the AKP's İBB candidate Murat Kurum. Emphasizing that the AKP is very desperate and cannot even find a candidate, Aydal also claimed that Emine Erdoğan wanted Kurum's candidacy. The highlights of Aydal's controversial statements were as follows:

"I saw that they did not take our support for a party seriously. We realized that the meetings they held with us were just 'beating the air.' Our base does not want them either. AKP friends say, 'If you don't support us, the CHP will win.' We are not a party that exists to make the AKP win. We may not be able to reach an agreement for a reason. That is how it looks. They did not even share their Istanbul candidates with us."

THE INFLUENCE OF EMİNE ERDOĞAN

"I think Emine Erdoğan has an influence on the name Murat Kurum. This is the effect of their relationship in past projects, such as the plastic bag issue, etc. I know Mr. Murat Kurum, he is a very gentlemanly person. But is there anything other than the plastic bag that comes to mind from his time as Minister of Environment and Urbanization? The 25-cent plastic bag... There is a logical error even in that. It was pursued because the President's wife attaches importance to it. What they did caused much greater damage. Those large black bags became widespread; this was not smart. We also saw Murat Kurum during the earthquake period. Mr. Murat Kurum is developing a discourse built on perception management."

'AKP CANNOT EVEN FIND A CANDIDATE'

"Now the AKP is in more trouble than ever; it cannot even find a candidate. You may have noticed that it re-nominated its old candidates even in the most troubled cities. One of the most notable of these is Kocaeli. Tahir Büyükakın promised two subways, and neither exists. He promised clean air, yet we breathe poison every day. He promised clean water, but the water is dirty. He said he would build a tram, and not even one has been finished. If the AKP is nominating the same person despite all these failures, it means the AKP is very desperate. It will consider itself defeated if it loses Ankara, Istanbul, and İzmir."

STATEMENT FROM THE PARTY

Aydal's statements created a crisis within the alliance. A statement came from the YRP regarding the remarks, which were met with reaction, especially by the AKP. The statement included the following expressions:

“The view and stance of our New Welfare Party regarding local election alliances will be shared with the public by our Chairman, Dr. Fatih Erbakan, in the coming days. Statements made beforehand consist solely of personal opinion. Personal views and expressions other than the joint decision of our authorized boards and the statements of our Chairman himself are not binding on our party.”

However, this statement did not calm the situation. It was alleged that YRP Chairman Fatih Erbakan requested Aydal's resignation. 12punto reached out to Aydal and asked about the allegations. Denying the claims, Aydal gave the following answer:

"No, there is no truth to it at all. It is completely contrary to reality. But some people are writing it. A fool throws a stone into a well, and 40 wise men cannot get it out. There is no such situation."

ALLEGATION DENIED

Finally, regarding the allegation that New Welfare Party leader Fatih Erbakan was invited to the Presidential Palace by President Erdoğan on January 15, it was stated by the party that this information was not true.

The statement included the following: "The news that the resignation of our Deputy Chairman Prof. Dr. Doğan Aydal was requested does not reflect the truth. The news that President Erdoğan invited our Chairman Dr. Fatih Erbakan to the Presidential Complex on Monday, January 15, is also not true."