CHP officials respond to 'bargaining with DEM Party' claims

As the local elections approach, political parties continue their efforts to determine their candidates.

In Istanbul, one of the cities where the outcome is most anticipated in the critical elections, it has not yet been clarified whether the DEM Party will field a candidate.

While CHP officials stated that they 'respect' the possibility of the DEM Party nominating Başak Demirtaş, they said they aim to unite voters at the ballot box.

According to a report by Cumhuriyet, CHP officials emphasizing the 'Turkey Alliance' said, "We are proceeding based on the concept we call the 'Turkey Alliance,' both in Istanbul and across Turkey. We respect all parties. Just as we hold discussions with other parties in the public eye, we are also speaking with the DEM Party transparently and in the public eye."

ALLIANCE AT THE GRASSROOTS

The officials explained how the 'Turkey Alliance' would be achieved by saying, "We are talking about an alliance at the grassroots level here. As our chairman said, we are declaring peace with every party. We are saying that we will not oppose the opposition. We believe that mayors who do exemplary work in Istanbul, Ankara, Mersin, and Adana; who increase social aid and protect the public's money will receive support from the voters. For this reason, we think that when they go to the ballot box, they will put their party affiliations in the background and choose the person who will provide service. What another party does will certainly affect the election result, but our job is to appear before the public in a way that embraces everyone."

RESPONSE TO BARGAINING CLAIMS WITH DEM PARTY

Party sources denied allegations that there was bargaining with the DEM Party over Istanbul or any other province. Stating that there is no situation where the CHP would not field a candidate in a region as a result of any bargaining, the officials assessed, "We trust our party's candidates and we intend to field candidates in every region. We currently manage 11 metropolitan municipalities and we aim to increase this number. In fact, by showing voters examples of the places we manage, we say, 'If you also want good service, choose CHP's candidates.'"

News Source: 12punto