He had given a 'softening' message: Erdoğan said these things about the opposition...

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements at the Extended Provincial Chairmen Meeting at his party's headquarters.

Highlights from Erdoğan's statements are as follows:

THE PROPHECY THAT THIS WILL BE THE LAST ELECTION...

We have been subjected to many perception operations, from the prophecy that this would be the last election to the disinformation spread about the economy. We have rendered all of them void. As 85 million, we demonstrated the power of the ballot box. Democracy is never a zero-sum game. Where democracy wins, there is no loser. In an equation where the credibility of the ballot box increases, the winner is the entire 85 million. Every result that strengthens civil politics is a unique success for the future of Turkish democracy. We have not resorted to methods such as blaming the nation for the election results.

"OUR COUNTERPARTS IN THE OPPOSITION ARE ACTING WITH PRUDENCE"

With the appreciation of our nation in the March 31 elections, the map of Turkey was painted with more colors. A larger number of political parties won mayoralties. Faced with this picture, unlike others, we did not resort to the 'We are ahead' theatricals staged on the night of May 14. Even though we remained far from our goals as a party, we welcomed the results positively. We conduct politics with the motto of "my nation first," "my country first."

In the climate of softening that has emerged in the political atmosphere, the increase in trust in political institutions in society has as much of a share as the messages of politicians. We hope that this climate will become the dominant character of Turkish politics. We have maintained our constructive attitude until today, and we have not fallen for the various games of those who want to condemn Turkey to a tension line, especially on May 1st. We see that our counterparts in the opposition are also acting with prudence, and we are pleased with this.

"WE ARE NOT IGNORING THE MARCH 31 ELECTION RESULTS"

We are not ignoring the March 31 election results. We are conducting, and will continue to conduct, our comprehensive internal assessment regarding the results in the authorized bodies. Until today, we have met and consulted with our Central Executive Board (MYK), our Central Decision and Administrative Board (MKYK), our AK Party Parliamentary Group, our friends, opinion leaders, our fellow travelers and comrades, political scientists, and NGOs. Today, we are together with our provincial chairmen and other members of our organization levels. Hopefully, we will continue to expand our circle of consultation.

At our last MYK meeting, we decided to hold our camp in the near future. We will meet first with our deputies, and then with our mayors. We are managing this process without turning a deaf ear to criticisms. It is not mistakes, but insisting on the wrong that causes one to lose. In the ups and downs of politics, the main issue is to always remain on the right path. If you do not forget where you came from, you will not break away from your goals. There is no place in our political tradition for putting distance between us and the public, building walls, or weakening the bond with the street, the bazaar, the market, and the neighborhood.

THE AK PARTY IS THE NATION'S PARTY

Whenever we needed it, we always found our nation by our side. When the nation looked at us, it saw itself, it saw its own issues. At the same time, it saw a strong will that would produce solutions to its problems. The AK Party is the party of the nation and will remain so forever. No one can or will be able to destroy the bridges of affection we have built with the nation. I visited 52 of our provinces just during the campaign period. The unchanging scene I witnessed during these visits was this: The AK Party has millions of soldiers who truly believe and are dedicated. We cannot repay the efforts of these brothers and sisters, each of whom is a monument of self-sacrifice.

WE WILL CONTINUE ON OUR PATH STRONGER

We cannot let the efforts of sincere AK Party soldiers be wasted by ambitious people whose arrogance exceeds their stature. No one, with their capricious bureaucrats or lobbies, can waste our party's efforts for their own interests. We will not turn a blind eye to this. As the chairman of this party and as one of its soldiers, we cannot bear such a heavy burden. At the end of our consultation and renewal process, we are determined to continue on our path as the AK Party much stronger.

WE WILL NOT SHOW DISLOYALTY

While we strengthen our staff with new names and new values, we will not show disloyalty to the veterans of our party. We do not need names who will derive power from the AK Party, but personalities who will add power to the AK Party.

News Source: 12punto