Özgür Özel reiterates call for elections: 'If there is no livelihood, there will be elections, there is no other way'

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may have declared 2024 the Year of the Retiree, but millions of pensioners have been condemned to a starvation wage. The setting of the lowest pension at 12,500 TL has caused disappointment.

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel reacted to the raise the AKP government made to pensions during his visit to the Pensioner House in Beyoğlu.

"BEFORE THE AKP CAME TO POWER, THE PENSION WAS 1.5 TIMES THE MINIMUM WAGE"

Pointing out that the pension has fallen below the minimum wage, Özel said, "When the Justice and Development Party first came to power, a pension was 1.5 times the minimum wage. If they hadn't touched it at all and applied today's 1.5 times the minimum wage, the lowest pension should be 25 thousand liras. They supposedly gave a raise, and the pension became 12 thousand 500 liras. The pension, which should be 25 thousand liras, is 12 thousand 500 liras."

Özel continued as follows:

"The Istanbul Planning Agency conducted a study: what is the minimum amount a pensioner in Istanbul can live on? They also found the 25 thousand lira figure. But the AK Party came and said, 'I will not let the pensioner be crushed by inflation, I will give a raise according to inflation calculations'; the lowest pension, which was 1.5 times the minimum wage when they arrived, is 0.6 times the minimum wage today.

"AT LEAST 5 QUARTER GOLD COINS HAVE BEEN LOST FROM THE POCKET"

When the AK Party came, when Mr. Tayyip was prime minister, pensioners could buy 8 quarter gold coins with the lowest pension. Today, this pension does not buy 3 quarter gold coins. At least 5 quarter gold coins have been lost from the pocket. Where does one look for something? Where it was lost. Where did we lose the 5 quarter gold coins? We lost them at the ballot box. The AK Party came and lost the 5 quarter gold coins; the AK Party will go, and we will find what we lost."

"IF THERE IS NO LIVELIHOOD, THERE WILL BE ELECTIONS"

Reiterating his call for elections over the raise given to pensions, Özel spoke as follows:

"We held rallies before the election, we couldn't get the message across. Pensioners did not vote for them in the elections, they made them the second party; they didn't understand. There are polls; CHP is first, they are second, they don't understand. We held a pensioner rally again, they didn't understand. They have gone and given a starvation wage again; can one make a living like this? What happens if there is no livelihood? If there is no livelihood, there will be elections, there is no other way. If there is no livelihood, there are elections! For this, we will continue to fight for you."

News Source: 12punto