YENİ Party Chairman Özgür Özel answered questions regarding the current agenda from Cumhuriyet newspaper columnist Işık Kansu, Ankara representative Sertaç Eş, and reporter Sarp Sağkal. Evaluating various topics ranging from ballot box security to intra-party elections, and from operations targeting the opposition to the fund list debates, Özel stated that trust in the ballot box must be protected.
ÖZEL'S STATEMENT ON THE BALLOT BOX DEBATE
Responding to a question about concerns that the ballot box could be eliminated, Özel argued that this anxiety is being manufactured. Stating that it is impossible for the ballot box to be eliminated in Turkey, Özel said:
"Their goal is to create this feeling. It is impossible for the ballot box not to exist in this country. The nation, which knows the value of democracy and the republic, will break the hand that reaches for the ballot box. The purpose here is not so much to steal the ballot box as it is to break the faith in it. One must not fall for this game. Korkut Boratav used to say, 'In these lands, a social explosion happens at the ballot box.' The greatest evil that can be done to this country today is to lose hope in the ballot box. If one day they steal the ballot box, the nation will chase those who stole it to wherever they flee. It will take the ballot box from their hands, bring it back, and send them to the trash heap of history. This nation will not give up the ballot box so easily."
COOPERATION MESSAGE FOR BALLOT BOX OFFICIALS
Explaining his preparations for ballot box security, Özel stated that they had prepared 186 thousand ballot box officials in previous elections, 182 thousand of whom are still acting with them. Noting that the YENİ Party does not yet have the right to have official ballot box officials because it has not participated in elections, Özel said that there are options for observers and cooperation with other opposition parties.
Touching upon the management debates in the CHP and the nullity case expected to be heard at the Court of Cassation, Özel made the following statements:
"To be a ballot box official, you must be in the top five in the last election. The YENİ Party has not yet entered elections. Therefore, it has no right to ballot box officials. We had prepared 186 thousand ballot box officials. Now 182 thousand are with us. But they cannot be official ballot box officials. Of course, there is the possibility of being an observer and making them ballot box officials through opposition parties. But on the other hand, the nullity case is being heard. The Court of Cassation will discuss this issue in the coming days. If the Court of Cassation discusses this decision and the decision is overturned, and there is a friendly management in the CHP, at least important work can be done regarding ballot box officials. Otherwise, there is no doubt that today's management will act with the government at the ballot box. The current management even objected to the YENİ Party having a representative at the Supreme Election Council (YSK) along with the AK Party. Our friends from the last Party Assembly in the CHP are still waiting. I find it important that the friends with whom we can cooperate for ballot box security in the election take over the management. If that doesn't happen, something will be done by working with observers and other parties."
MERSİN OPERATIONS AND PRESSURES ON THE OPPOSITION
Responding to a question about the operations carried out in Mersin and the pressures on the opposition, Özel claimed that the government is becoming increasingly harsh. Arguing that there is an attempt to turn what is happening into a debate among opposition parties, Özel stated that there is an attempt to weaken the opposition voters' hope for the ballot box.
In his statement on the subject, Özel used the following words:
"They are getting tougher. The whole point is to turn this into an intra-opposition debate. When we first founded the YENİ Party, I said, 'If necessary, let all the mayors stay there, as long as there is no debate about the majority in the municipal councils.' The government is trying to intimidate and alienate opposition voters by showing its 'power'; it is trying to make them lose hope in the ballot box. One must fight against this collectively. One must distinguish between those who pretend to be the opposition and those who are risking everything. The opposition structure that tries to legitimize itself and is preferred by the Palace has stopped doing its job; it is trying to demoralize opposition voters. We will not allow them to wound an opposition front that has risked death."
CANDIDATE SELECTION PROCESS IN INTRA-PARTY RACES
Responding to the question regarding the announcement that some candidates in intra-party elections are supported by the headquarters, Özel said that they do not impose a single candidate in any province and that there is no obstacle to free competition in the candidacy process.
Stating that there is no special candidate supported by the headquarters in İzmir, Ankara, and Istanbul, Özel emphasized that the preference of the members will be taken as the basis.
"The candidate chosen by the members is the crown on our head. We have no single-candidate imposition in any province, including İzmir, Ankara, and Istanbul. There is no headquarters candidate anywhere. I even told those who asked in Ankara recently. We are neither against nor on the side of the founding chairmen. Of course, we thank them for their efforts in founding the party. But everyone can be a candidate freely in the elections. The candidate chosen by the member is the headquarters' candidate. This issue is also being asked for İzmir. The same situation applies there. There is no obstacle to free competition in İzmir either. Otherwise, if we did something, it would be hypocrisy. There is no candidate preferred by the headquarters. There is also no obstacle to candidacy. Let everyone vote for the candidate they want. Perhaps in the future, there will be processes where mayors and parliamentary candidate nominees are determined by primary elections."
ÖZEL'S EMPHASIS ON TRANSPARENCY IN THE FUND LIST DEBATE
The rejection of the proposal to establish a commission in Parliament to investigate the fund crisis and the statements made by the AKP regarding the "right not to be tarnished" also came to the agenda.
Özel argued that keeping the names secret paves the way for the spread of false information and slander, and said that the announced names should be verified. Claiming that there is a difference between the practices targeting opposition names in investigations and the approach toward AKP names, Özel made the following statements in his explanation:
"What paves the way for lies and slander is the hiding of these names. And being used as a tool for the throne wars within the AK Party. Otherwise, a lot of lists are circulating. Politicians are trying to get these names verified. We did not announce the names without verification. There was only one person with the same name as Minister Mahinur Göktaş's father. We apologize for that, but does the right not to be tarnished belong only to AK Party politicians? The cure for the right not to be tarnished is transparency. A CHP municipal council member, mayor, or bureaucrat gives a statement in an investigation with a confidentiality order, and before the lawyer leaves the prosecutor's side, the statement starts circulating in the pro-government press.
All the photos found on the mobile phone of a person who is not related to the investigation are leaked. While this is the case when you are an opposition member, when it comes to the AK Party, they say, 'Let our friends not be tarnished.' They have opened a repentance account, saying, 'Leave the sins here.' Such a thing cannot be. There are names they leak themselves. Someone working under a pseudonym at the Ministry of Justice manages intra-party operations and does such things. Perhaps Ms. Mahinur understands the other children and fathers now. They have been doing this to Hasan İmamoğlu for 1.5 years. They dug up the garden of his village house. There is a lien on his pension, his account has been frozen. We invite Ms. Mahinur to the Family Solidarity Network. Let her see those who have been experiencing for months the grievance her father experienced for 10 minutes."
WHO IS ON THE LIST THAT ÜMİT ÖZLALE WILL ANNOUNCE?
When asked if there are important names on the list that YENİ Party İzmir Deputy Ümit Özlale stated he would announce on Monday, Özel said that there are important names from the AKP on the list.
Drawing attention to the importance of verifying the names, Özel claimed that wrong names were deliberately put into circulation.
Özel stated that the government should announce the entire list and expressed that the allegations that the Ministry of Justice bureaucracy is also involved in the issue increase concerns.
HE ARGUED THAT THERE ARE TWO REASONS FOR LEAKING THE NAMES
Responding to the question about why the names on the lists were leaked, Özel claimed that this stemmed from intra-party conflicts and efforts to divert public attention to other issues.
In his statement, Özel used the following words:
"One is from their own internal party conflict. The second is to divert attention elsewhere. 'Let someone else be discussed, let us not be discussed.' There are those who do this on their own behalf, and then there are the bagmen. And there are even the bagmen of the bagmen, so that the connection is completely broken."
News Source: 12punto
