Meral Akşener announces: We did everything that fell to us, but we did not succeed

İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener was greeted in the hall where the ceremony was held in Balıkesir with chants of 'Turkey's greatest leader.'

Akşener, who was presented with a Turkish flag, addressed party members at her party's mayoral candidate introduction ceremony. Akşener began her speech by introducing Turhan Çömez, the candidate for Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality.

Akşener said, "Now, I have known Turhan Çömez for a very long time. I have known him since his time as a doctor before he became a member of parliament. He healed patients by struggling. He did not chase after money. Then he entered politics. During the time he was in politics, he worked for the unity and integrity of Turkey. He collaborated with the institutions of our state. Then a contrary wind blew. Suddenly, we saw he had become an enemy. Suddenly, we saw he had become an enemy force. A wind blew and Turhan Çömez had become an enemy.

He did not give up the struggle, but he did not sell out this country either. He did not go and file complaints. And in the end, his will and his resistance resulted in him being tried in the Ergenekon case, with his head held high, his forehead clear, without stealing, without letting others steal, and with it being certified that he had a political period unrelated to any 'this-ism' or 'that-ism.' He was tried in Ergenekon during the period when the army was being tried. As a result, he was certified as a person who loves his homeland and returned. And he joined the party we founded.

He joined the ranks of the İYİ Party, which has remained standing in a process where we were kicked from both sides. I am a witness. He could have taken part in a political party where his life would have been much more comfortable. He could have continued his political life without any difficulty. Now he is here today. Why are we here? We are here for Turhan Çömez's metropolitan mayoral candidacy, for the metropolitan mayoral candidacy of our Balıkesir.

The fact that the İYİ Party was established as free and independent, and that it is participating in these elections as free and independent, has annoyed everyone. It has disrupted everyone's calculations. Since this party, the İYİ Party, was founded by you, we have strived for only one thing. And that is this: The changing of this freak system. The changing of this one-man system," she said.

"EVERYONE WILL BE PANICKED"

Akşener continued her words as follows:

"Now, the thing that will change all of these is the departure of the freak system. We did our best regarding this in 2018 and 2019, we did everything that fell to us. God is my witness, and I believe that in a while, my nation will see this and give us our due. But we did not succeed. For this reason, for that reason, we did not succeed. Let's assume all the fault is mine. Therefore, what is the reason for this failure? It is the system that is happy and satisfied with this seesaw. It is the people, the personalities who feed on this system. We are against this. Because we are against this, we left the parties we were in and came together with a great struggle. Now, if we are running in these local elections, in every city where we have nominated candidates, we are walking our own path by nominating our own candidates.

When we ensure that these candidate friends of ours win in the districts, towns, provinces, and metropolitan cities, what will we reveal? You, the party governing this country, will say, 'Oh no! I won't be able to put people to sleep anymore. Because the voter, the nation, has bruised half of my ear.' On the other side, they will say, 'Oh no, the era of laziness is over. Half of my ear is bruised too.' From the moment we implement a municipalism that reveals good municipalism, social municipalism, and a municipalism that does not favor, does not steal, does not let others steal, is objective, compliant with the law, and compliant with justice, do you know what will happen? In 2028, everyone will be panicked. Everyone will jump, and everyone will come and look into the eyes of the voter one by one."

"RUMORS OF MONEY ARE FLYING IN THE AIR"

Akşener said, "Çömez and our other friends came out and said that we are candidates. Now, it is not an easy thing. Look, it is not a very easy thing. What is this? It is resisting all kinds of difficulties. What is this? It is not being able to find a billboard to hang. What is this? It is having to turn a blind eye to your poster that you hung on a tree being taken down by the Governor, but ours did not turn a blind eye. He is the biggest pain in the neck.

Now, former ministers are sitting in front of me. Now Oktay Vural. Ayfer Yılmaz. Look, I also happened to serve as a minister. If you notice, I can count other friends of yours too. Our members of parliament, it is very interesting, rumors of money are flying in the air in Turkey these days.

This party took this from that, this party took that from that. During the time we served as ministers, during the times we were in power, thank God, not a single word was said about me or about my friends sitting here, other than that we are 'pain in the neck people.' Thank God we are pains in the neck. But it has not been said that they did this, they did that," she said.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CLAIMS

Akşener noted the following:

"In 2010, I was a member of parliament. I was the deputy speaker of the parliament. That famous constitutional amendment was made. I went to every single one of the AK Party's heavyweights to prevent that famous constitutional amendment from being made. I said, 'Don't do it.' I said it would be like a boomerang stuck to this country's neck in terms of roads, water, and electricity. One of them, for example, is the Minister of Justice of that day, Mehmet Ali Şahin. Whoever there was, I went. I couldn't make them listen. That constitutional amendment was made. Do you know why it was made? It was made because they did not get the votes they predicted in the 2019 local elections, to polarize the voter, to polarize the voter, and to make the other side an enemy. It was also done to see if I could put my own people in the judiciary. If that referendum in 2010 had not happened, if that change made in the parliament had not happened, July 15 would not have happened.

This nation would not have had to collect the state from the street, from the bridge. And it would not have had to struggle with a FETÖ plague still. Now, today, I say this. Elect Turan Çömez and our friends in the districts. Because our taking over the administration in these metropolitan cities, our taking over the municipalities will ensure this. Right now, law, justice are on the ground, merit is on the ground, and most importantly, the hope of the youth is on the ground. God will grant us to pick this up from the ground and put it back in its place with your favor. And it will ensure that this country returns to its founding settings from scratch. But we need to prove that we can get things done. And this need passes through winning the municipalities."

News Source: İHA