Critical 'local election' statement from Davutoğlu: 'We will talk to every party...'

Future Party Chairman Ahmet Davutoğlu met with members of the press today at the TBMM, accompanied by Group Deputy Chairmen Selçuk Özdağ, İsa Mesih, and other party deputies.

Davutoğlu answered questions from the press following his assessments regarding the local elections, shipments from Turkey to Israel, and Palestine.

"NOT EVEN ONE SHIP, INCLUDING MY SON'S, COULD SAY IT IS NOT THERE"

Addressing companies sending goods to Israel, Davutoğlu said, "If you do not want to be blacklisted tomorrow, if you do not want to be boycotted just as some companies trading with Israel are now being boycotted, do not send those goods even if the government tells you to 'send them.' Do not let your companies be blacklisted. Do not fall into the category of companies supporting Israel. You saw that the name of one was published. They are at the rally at Atatürk Airport, but their ship is in motion. It is alleged that the ships of the children of those in power in Turkey are also there. The former Prime Minister could not come out and say, 'No, not even one ship, including my son's, is there,'" he stated.

"WE WILL OPEN IT FOR SIGNATURES"

Regarding a question about the call to march to ports where goods are being sent to Israel, Davutoğlu said, "We are consulting with our friends on this. Actions we take with the public are as important as the actions we take in a political sense. If they continue, we will definitely do it. Hopefully, we will take the initiative next week and announce the declaration. We have called for a declaration with the signature of United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Palestine Richard Falk. We will complete it and open it for signatures in the coming days."

"THE NATURE OF LOCAL ELECTIONS IS DIFFERENT"

Regarding a question about Akşener's comparison of alliances to a "mandate and tutelage trap" and the Future Party's roadmap for the local elections, Davutoğlu said:

"We respect the decisions made by every party. Every party makes its own assessment and accounting after an election. There is work being done in this sense in almost all parties... The IYI Party held a congress. The CHP held a congress. We will also hold our second grand congress in January. We have also made our own assessment; the nature of local elections is different from general elections. Local elections are... here Ms. Akşener is right, it has created an abnormality. In fact, the reason for the President's '50 plus 1' remark, and the reason why parties are pushed to act outside their own natural spheres, is the Presidential Government System itself. Many efforts have been made to overcome this. The conditions for the birth of the Table of Six were based on this election law and directly on this 50 plus 1 requirement; everyone formed alliances to reach this goal."

"WE WILL TALK TO EVERY PARTY"

"In local elections, I wouldn't call it an alliance, but cooperation can be done on a local scale; there is no obstacle to this. That is, in one place, two parties can agree, and in a district of the same province, a different combination can be used to find the best candidate. Our principle is to carry out work in a way that ensures the best candidate that the people deserve is put forward. The first stage is our own candidates. We are the party that has been announcing candidates collectively in Turkey since October. We are doing our own work. We have a principle agreement with the Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi); we will form alliances where possible. We are discussing that with the Felicity Party; we have formed a joint commission. If, together with other parties, there is a good candidate that a city deserves, we will talk to every party. In this regard, I have learned not to use the concepts of 'never, absolutely, forever' in politics. We need to keep dialogue channels open. Turkey currently needs trust in politics. The greatest damage of the May 14-28 elections is that it has shaken trust in politics."

News Source: AA