CHP rally in AKP stronghold Bayburt: Özgür Özel reveals the results of the latest poll on his desk!

The CHP is holding the 10th in its series of rallies, which it launched following the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, in Bayburt. The CHP, which last held a rally in this city 14 years ago, has descended on Bayburt this time with the slogan "Freedom for İmamoğlu."

The party requested a venue in the city center for the rally, but this request was rejected by the Bayburt Governor's Office. While CHP members reacted to this obstruction, the rally was held in front of the Genç Osman Stadium.

İMAMOĞLU'S LETTER READ

Speaking at the rally, CHP Bayburt Provincial Chair Haktan Yücel read the letter sent by the imprisoned Ekrem İmamoğlu from the podium.

Here is İmamoğlu's letter:

Honorable people of the Çoruh, brave children of the Kop Mountains, Bayburt, the city of noble-hearted people living between majestic mountains. I am calling out to you from the dungeons of Silivri, where I have been imprisoned for injustice and lawlessness, miles away from you.

As your brother from Trabzon, I know Bayburt well. The people of Bayburt know what it means to be desolate and lonely. They know what cold weather, distance, and being neglected mean. It is a city that has seen oppression. It knows tyranny, but it does not kneel. It is a city that has fought when necessary to win its rights. It also knows how to struggle. For this reason, I know that you will understand me very well and that you will embrace your brother who writes his feelings to you from a prison cell far away.

They are trying to prevent me from being a voice for the nation's voice, my brothers and sisters. All of Turkey knows that my colleagues and I are imprisoned without guilt or sin.

Their goal is to prevent us from serving the people and to keep us away from doing politics for this nation, but they saw that they would not succeed as the nation rushed to the squares in droves to claim its will. That is why they increase their oppression every day.

They are writing their names into the ranks of the tyrants today. We are not doing this. They have brought this upon themselves.

They have ruined the economy, left pots empty in the kitchen, turned the legal system into a stick to beat whoever they want, and corrupted our ancient institutions and values.

Deliberately ignoring the national will, they have made this beautiful country a place that is only livable for themselves and their cronies, while everyone else suffers. It wasn't enough. Trembling with the fear of losing their seats, they began to rain down punishments on everyone who stood against them.

They became tyrants. We became the oppressed. Tyranny suited them well. We, however, prefer to be the oppressed rather than be tyrants like them. The Bayburt Castle, which has witnessed the loneliness of this city for centuries, is a witness that the people of Bayburt love their state and obey their state. But the people of Bayburt also want the state to be fair. To be equitable. We know very well that at the point we have reached today, your security has been shaken by a government that has lost its respectability and reliability, turned 1,000-year-old state traditions upside down, and hollowed out the state.

Do not fall into despair, my brothers and sisters. We will rebuild our state tradition, which we trust and lean on, together. We will say "the state is eternal" once again. We will learn to be united again. As they increase their oppression, we will be resurrected again. We will multiply square by square. If you are with us in this resurrection, this journey will be very beautiful. If you are there, everything will be very beautiful. Everything will be very beautiful in Bayburt too. Everything will be very beautiful. Everything will be very beautiful.

HARSH CRITICISM FROM MANSUR YAVAŞ

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş also spoke at the Bayburt rally. In his speech, Yavaş harshly criticized the government, its economic policies, and its interventions against municipalities.

Stating that "politics should not divide us, it should unite us," Yavaş described the government's pressures and obstructions against municipalities. Recalling the smear campaign they faced in the 2019 local elections, Yavaş said, "They said PKK members would read the water meters; the public did not believe it. We earned the public's trust with our services."

Yavaş gave examples of the social support projects carried out in Ankara. Stating that regular aid is provided to 210 thousand families, Yavaş said they provide 2,100 TL in cash support to 74 thousand retirees every month. He also stated that they provide support to 15 thousand minimum wage earners and have implemented numerous services ranging from education to transportation aid.

Touching on nurseries, dormitories, shuttle support, and new projects for students, Yavaş said, "We have opened nearly 40 new nurseries, removed contribution shares from social assistance, and we are protecting the public's pockets with pharmacy support."

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL REVEALS THE LATEST POLL ON HIS DESK

Following Yavaş's speech and the reading of Ekrem İmamoğlu's letter, CHP leader Özgür Özel took the podium.

In his speech here, Özel stated that his party has been in first place since March 31 and said, "We are 7 points ahead of our closest rival in the polls."

CHP leader Özel's statements are as follows:

Greetings to the land of Dede Korkut, the home of the börek, which flourished on the banks of the Çoruh River, embracing the Turks who came to Anatolia. Greetings to the beautiful people of Bayburt who have love for the homeland, the nation, the flag, and Atatürk in their hearts. Greetings to the beautiful Bayburt, which Evliya Çelebi called a rich land, on the historic Silk Road connecting Eastern Anatolia to the Black Sea, and to the mothers, fathers, grandfathers, and young children of Bayburt whose hands are to be kissed.

Welcome. Greetings to you, Bayburt, the city of resistance, of those who resisted the Russian occupation a century ago, of those who gave their blood and lives for this homeland in the defense of Kop, of those who saw tyranny but did not surrender to it, of those who passed through fire but did not surrender, of the struggle for dignity. We said we would hold a rally. They said, "Don't go to Bayburt. Gezi didn't come there." I say I will go to Bayburt. Don't go to Bayburt. Nothing happened in Bayburt after March 19. I say I will go to Bayburt. They said, "Bayburt is the AKP's stronghold."

"THE NATION'S STRONGHOLD"

I said these clichés are over. This old politics is over. I will go to Bayburt. I will greet Bayburt. I will embrace Bayburt. I said Bayburt will embrace us. Today, the stronghold of such political parties, stronghold politics, is over. Now, Bayburt is not the AKP's, nor Tayyip Bey's, nor anyone else's; Bayburt, as a whole, is the stronghold of this nation. It is the stronghold of this nation.

Bayburt is no longer a city that is a friend of the government. Because Bayburt showed a lot of friendship to this government, it gave a lot of support. But the government did not show the friendship that Bayburt showed it to Bayburt. For this reason, we are now coming to hear the voice of Bayburt, to make it heard, and God willing, to do more than what has not been done in Bayburt after the first elections. Today, I will talk about Bayburt's problems in a moment. But our Gendarmerie, which serves abundantly, and that Gendarmerie that comes to the aid of the police when there is a need for duty in the city. It is in the countryside, in the prison, in the village, in the highland, at night, during the day. There is no overtime, no sleep, it works with all its might.

Today is the 186th anniversary of the establishment of that organization, and the heroic Gendarmerie, which gives its martyrs when told to give martyrs, and gives its life when told to give its life. But the Gendarmerie that is forced to serve in the east 5 times when the day comes. The Gendarmerie where the non-commissioned officer has a compensation problem. The Gendarmerie where the specialist has a staff problem. I salute that Gendarmerie, where each of them experiences difficulties with personal rights, from the party of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. We know your problems, we are coming to solve them. May God be pleased with all of you.

While walking in Bayburt, 3 brothers, 30-35 years old, said, "Chairman, nominate someone for mayor in Bayburt that we will all vote for." I said, "How will this happen?" They say the CHP is weak here. They said, "We are tired of the same names over and over. One party not nominating someone and the other party nominating them. Votes being taken and services being delayed. We have a thousand kinds of complaints. We both farm and drive a minibus. We both farm and work as laborers, yet we still can't make ends meet."

One said, "Do you know what kind of person it should be?" I said, "What kind of person should it be?" He said, "It should be someone like Ferdi Zeyrek." After a great grief, I left my father's house, my mother's lap, my dear Manisa yesterday and came to Bayburt first.

THANKS TO ABDULLAH GÜL AND AHMET NECDET SEZER

From here, in your person, I thank all political parties, our former Presidents Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Abdullah Gül, and everyone, every one of you who prayed for Ferdi, felt sad, and shed tears, with all my heart in Turkey. May God be pleased with all of them in the person of Bayburt.

When we held rallies in the Aegean, in Thrace, they always said, "You came with your abundance" if it rained. God willing, we will bring abundance to Bayburt under the Republican People's Party government, God willing. We will bring abundance. Three young friends from Bayburt say this. They say, "You were never seen in Bayburt." We have our organization. We have our provincial and district chairs. We have a struggle, but we also have faults. A chairman is coming after 14 years. There has been no rally for a long time. No contact. From now on, I promise you, one of our eyes, one of our ears, one of our feet will be in Bayburt. Are there any Bayburtspor fans here? This Bayburtspor, Gümüşhanespor used to be like giant teams.

I asked, they have fallen to the amateur league. Those who took a team called Osmanlıspor and brought it to where it is, those who do some things very professionally, have dropped Bayburt to the amateur league. By God, it is easy to be on the side of power. It is easy to love the rich. It is easy to support the champions. From now on, let's support Bayburtspor in addition to our Manisa.

I heard about the injustices you have suffered. We are with you, we are behind you. 25 years ago, Turkey's population was 67 million. Today it is 86 million. The population has increased by almost 20 million in 25 years. Our Bayburt's population was 97,000 that day, today it is 83,000. Turkey has grown, Bayburt has shrunk. Normally, while Bayburt should have been 125,000, it has dropped to 83,000. 180,000 people from Bayburt live in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Kocaeli. But young people who cannot see a future in Bayburt are migrating from Bayburt to these places. If you want to invest in Bayburt, you face 1001 difficulties.

Those who get Bayburt's votes forget Bayburt when it comes to serving because they see Bayburt as a "sitting duck." Those who turn their faces on election day turn their backs on Bayburt after the election. I looked, Industry is 2%. Service sector is 23%, agriculture is 75%. Despite this, the area of agriculture has decreased by one-fifth. It has lost 20%. The average age of farmers in Bayburt has risen to 58.

Three out of four young farmers are looking forward to next year. In other words, when the right investments are not made in Bayburt, the young person is left with either the field or going abroad. In spite of this system that forces Bayburt to the field or abroad, we promise together to bring investment to Bayburt, to build factories, and to keep our young people in this beautiful city.

Those who get Bayburt's votes forget Bayburt when it comes to serving because they see Bayburt as a "sitting duck." Those who turn their faces on election day turn their backs on Bayburt after the election. I looked, Industry is 2 percent. Service sector is 23 percent, Agriculture is 75 percent. Despite this, the area of agriculture has decreased by one-fifth. It has lost 20 percent.

"SOMEONE NEEDS TO HEAR THESE VOICES"

The average age of farmers in Bayburt has risen to 58. Three out of four young farmers are looking forward to next year. In other words, when the right investments are not made in Bayburt, the young person is left with either the field or going abroad. In spite of this system that forces Bayburt to the field or abroad, we promise together to bring investment to Bayburt, to build factories, and to keep our young people in this beautiful city. There are also promises made but not kept. All of Turkey burned in the frost. In Bayburt, after the heavy snow in winter and the snow that did not melt, the seeds rotted. Compensation for the damage is needed, support is needed, credit debts need to be closed. Someone needs to hear these voices.

This week, all of Bayburt's problems will be on the parliament's agenda. The Bayburt farmer will make their voice heard in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Not only Bayburt, but the entire country is in great trouble. While the word and decision should belong to the nation, while the AKP has won the elections for 23 years and we have respected that and performed the duty of opposition, they became the second party for the first time on March 31. The Republican People's Party became the 1st party after 47 years. They did not show the understanding we showed for 47 years, the patience we showed for 47 years, the respect we showed to the nation for 47 years, for 47 days.

"WE ARE FACING A LEGITIMACY CRISIS"

And today, our party, which has been the 1st party since the March 31 local elections, is 7 points ahead of its closest rival in all polls in terms of votes. But instead of respecting this, the government is attacking.

Now, because those who do not have the support of the nation behind them are trying to rule Turkey with tutelage and pressure by running away from the ballot box, we are facing a legitimacy crisis that also causes great damage to the economy. Unable to overcome this crisis, the government, which is stubborn with the nation's decision, has personalized the legislative, executive, and judiciary, brought them under its sovereignty, tied them to instructions, and is causing a great institutional collapse in Turkey. We are in a process that only one person, one group, one party, a group of managers approves, but the nation never approves.

Because while they think about themselves and their future, they do not think about the people of Bayburt or the nation, and unfortunately, those who are not guilty pay the price. The minimum wage earner is forced to make ends meet with 22,000 liras. As of today, the minimum wage has already melted by 3,300 liras from the moment it received a raise, according to TUIK figures.

"IF IT WERE THE ECEVIT PERIOD, THE LOWEST RETIREE SALARY WOULD BE 45 THOUSAND LIRAS"

On the day the AKP came to power, the minimum wage could buy 7 quarter gold coins. Today, the minimum wage has reached a state where it can buy 3 quarter gold coins. Let everyone do their math. 7 quarters before the AKP, 3 quarters when the AKP came. On the other hand, retirees, the lowest retiree salary is well known. We advocate that the lowest retiree salary should be the minimum wage. But they give 14,500 liras. Before the AKP came, the lowest retiree salary could buy 8 quarter gold coins, now, sorry, the lowest retiree salary could buy 8 quarter gold coins, now it buys 2 quarter gold coins. One should see what the AKP has done to retirees.

How they take a little bit from your pocket with every raise, how they brought you to today's calculation, in the period when that Bülent Ecevit, whom they criticize so much, and Bahçeli formed a coalition together, that Bülent Ecevit gave 8 quarter gold coins, with today's money, the lowest retiree salary is between 45-50,000 liras. They brought it down from there to 14,000 liras. Does the retiree deserve this? Does the minimum wage earner deserve this situation? Then, against those who say they will raise the minimum wage 4 times a year before the election and do not give a single penny of raise, against those who condemn the retiree to hunger and misery, we will either get that interim raise for the minimum wage earner and the retiree in July, or we will carry this great struggle square by square.

"WE WILL TAKE THE INTERIM RAISE BY FORCE"

Let everyone who needs to hear it hear it from this square, which you filled up to the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Boulevard, saying they won't gather, they won't come. We will take our right to an interim raise by force. Bayburt is writing history today. In Bayburt, retirees and laborers are struggling shoulder to shoulder to get the interim raise, to get it by force, to get it one way or another.

350,000 of them have been waiting for 6 months. 250,000 of them have been waiting for 3 months. The unions Türk-İş and Hak-İş submitted their proposals on February 27. They have been silent until today. We have been voicing it all together for 2 weeks. They said we will give a raise according to the target inflation, not the real inflation. Dear people of Bayburt, you know that inflation was actually 100% last year. ENAG calculates it at 80% this year too. If a product that was 100 liras last year is 180 liras this year, inflation is 80%. But what does TUIK mean? T U I K, the Statistical Institute that does not upset Tayyip Bey. Who does it upset? It upsets the retiree. It upsets the minimum wage earner. Now it will upset the public worker. Let's remember what they did last year. Real inflation is 80%. TUIK said 45. They didn't even give 45. They gave 30% and stole 15% from everyone's pocket. Now they say to the public worker, while inflation is 35% according to TUIK, we will give 16% for the first 6 months and 8% for the second 6 months. The union said this summer will be active.

By God, there were times when we criticized the unions. But if the labor unions come out and say we will resist, we are in the squares, we will struggle, we are behind you, we are behind you, we are behind you. Let's get a promise from Bayburt. Let's get a promise. Are we ready to stand behind whoever takes to the roads, whoever runs to the squares, whoever goes on strike for the public worker, for the retiree, for the laborer, to the end? Are we ready? Hear this voice from Bayburt. Not from Kocaeli Gebze. Not from Bursa. We are calling out to the working class from Bayburt. We are behind you like a rock. We are behind you like a rock. Of course, the victims are not just the retiree, the minimum wage earner, and the public worker.

We are in a great institutional collapse. Broad-based unemployment. This is 38% among young people, 40% among women, the highest figure in the last 10 years. You all know. Last year, the number of young people not in education or employment rose from 3.2 million to 4.7 million. What does "young person not in education or employment" mean? Neither in school nor at work. Neither in education nor in employment. Unfortunately, at the bottom of the stove, at the bottom of their mother's lap. 4.7 million young people not in education or employment. These young people do not deserve this. These young people do not deserve this injustice. That is why solving the unemployment problem is as critical and important as all other problems. We have 1.5 million teachers who cannot be appointed, who are not appointed. There are victims of internship and apprenticeship.

ÖZEL'S 'KHK VICTIMS' OUTBURST

And especially there are KHK (Decree-Law) victims. The man says, "Before December 17-25, we were flesh and bone. We were all together. I opened its bank. I went to its prep school. I gave whatever they wanted. I never turned them away." The child of a poor civil servant went to the prep school on a scholarship, and they are ruining their life. Or a slander comes. It returns from the court, they do not reinstate the civil servant. They are tried. They are acquitted, but they cannot be acquitted in someone's mind. We, with a great sense of solidarity, embrace the KHK victims, the unappointed teachers, the victims of internship and apprenticeship, and all the victims in every corner of Turkey. The People's Party embraces them.

"THERE ARE TWO MUSTAFAS WHOSE PATHS WILL BE FOLLOWED"

We are never talking about those who betray their country, their homeland, their nation, those who drive the tank under them over them, those who bomb the parliament with F16s. Let them serve their sentences to the end. But I am saying to my brothers and sisters who were victimized by being told, "Deposit rent in this bank, take this scholarship, come here in this trouble." One should not follow anyone like that again. There are two Mustafas in this country whose paths and footsteps should be followed. One, our prophet Muhammad Mustafa; and the other, the founder of this country, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. May God not separate anyone from the path of our prophet or the path of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. All other paths are false.

"TRUMP" CALL TO ERDOĞAN

We are worried that there will be a war right next to us. I expect a firm stance from Erdoğan against Trump.

News Source: 12punto