AKP's Serap Yazıcı Özbudun responds to CHP criticism: 'I did not receive support as a CHP member'

Özbudun argued that some CHP officials were deliberately misinforming the public, noting that she had responded on the same day to a petition submitted to the Constitutional Committee by CHP Group Deputy Chair Ali Mahir Başarır. She stated that reports claiming she was "preparing summaries of proceedings" and "trying to lift parliamentary immunity" were untrue.

Serap Yazıcı Özbudun spoke about the reactions to the summaries of proceedings. Regarding criticisms of her joining the AKP ranks, Serap Yazıcı Özbudun said, "When I received support from CHP voters, I did not receive this support as a CHP member."

When journalists reminded her of voter reactions regarding her running for election on the CHP list and subsequently joining the AKP, Özbudun said, "When I received support from CHP voters, I did not receive this support as a CHP member."

'I HAVE NO AUTHORITY'

Serap Yazıcı Özbudun spoke as follows:

"Ali Mahir Başarır and his associates had news reports published claiming that I was preparing summaries of proceedings against 61 CHP deputies and that I intended to lift their immunity, and they launched a lynching campaign. The Chair of the Joint Committee has no authority to prepare summaries of proceedings. The Chair of the Joint Committee also has no authority to lift immunities. The Chair of the Joint Committee forms a preparatory committee, which is granted a one-month period according to the bylaws. A report is prepared within this period, and this report is referred to the General Assembly and put to a vote. Immunities are lifted or not lifted based on the result of that vote. They are trying to manufacture victimhood through this campaign of slander and lies they are conducting against me, and thereby gain reputation in the eyes of the public.

I want to address them from here; they have been continuing the same politics of lies and deceit for years, and they have not succeeded in winning the hearts of the public with this politics. It seems there must be other ways to reach the government positions they have been longing for for years. My advice to them is to pursue honest, ethical, and conscientious politics. There is no such incident as they claim."

'I DID NOT MISLEAD MY VOTERS'

"When I received support from CHP voters, I did not receive this support as a CHP member. We were part of the Table of Six, and I was nominated as a member of that alliance, and I worked there day and night, putting in more effort than even the CHP candidates. In fact, some members of the CHP's Antalya organization personally thanked me for my dedicated work. The votes I received are votes I earned with my own sweat. I did not mislead my voters. I stand behind the same promises I made to them during this campaign. I am not just any politician. I am a professor of constitutional law. Whatever I defended as an academic, I have defended as a politician. The views I advocate relate to democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of human rights.

I defended these while I was in the Future Party, during the election campaign, and today as an AK Party deputy, I defend the same views. If we are to evaluate this as an unethical stance, then I would like to ask the CHP members this: why did they accept Aykut Kaya, who was elected as an MP from Antalya on the IYI Party list, into the CHP?"

News Source: 12punto