Özgür Özel responds to 'purge' allegations! 'The ones who supported Mr. Kemal the most...'

Continuing its local election efforts, the Republican People's Party (CHP) recently announced 209 more mayoral candidates.

Ataşehir Mayor Battal İlgezdi, who was not nominated for the election in March, resigned while accusing the party management. İlgezdi claimed that "those who supported former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at the CHP congress are being purged, and that there is a massacre of Kurds and Alevis within the party."

Speaking to Sözcü columnist İsmail Saymaz, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel responded to İlgezdi's claim.

Özel responded as follows to İlgezdi's claim that Kurds and Alevis were being massacred while mayoral candidates were being determined:

"WE HAVE NOMINATED MANY ALEVI CANDIDATES"

“Mayor Battal has evaluated the matter from a subjective rather than an objective and impartial place, out of the sadness of not being nominated for the position he has held for a long time - which I understand. We have announced 900 candidates. We have nominated many Alevi candidates. He should look at the Alevi candidates. Which Kurd has he seen being purged? There is no such thing. On the contrary, there are lists that will not cause anxiety or concern. Neither Alevis nor Kurds are being purged. He made an evaluation based on the fact that 'I was not nominated.' I think he will regret those evaluations in a few days. We attribute it to his sadness. After all, there must be change.”

"WE NOMINATED TWO OF OUR FRIENDS WHO SUPPORTED MR. KEMAL THE MOST"

In response to the claim regarding the purge of Kılıçdaroğlu supporters, Özel noted the following:

“We nominated two of our friends who supported Mr. Kemal the most in Bursa and Balıkesir. Where shall we put these names then? In Istanbul, Bora Balcıoğlu, who supported Mr. Kemal, was nominated because he was ahead in the polls. Gülizar Emecan, the candidate for Bahçelievler, was against us at the congress. Four out of the 10 people nominated on the day Battal Bey was not nominated were names who were against us at the congress. There is no purge. The published candidate lists refute these claims.

In fact, I receive criticisms like this: 'Politics does not tolerate this much objectivity. You should have put names close to you in some places. You are assigning those who are close to Kılıçdaroğlu and did not stand by him at the congress,' they say. I receive such criticisms. Mayor Battal claims the exact opposite.”

Özel also responded with a "No" to İlgezdi's claim that "there is a Black Sea, Trabzon lobby everywhere"; he asked, "Unlike last time, where has there been a lot of Trabzonites?"

RESPONSE TO MUHARREM İNCE

Speaking about Memleket Party leader Muharrem İnce, who made harsh criticisms of the CHP following the interview, Özel said, "İnce says, 'We are people of different worlds.' Do we become people of the same world when one district is given? That's why I won't make a statement."

HARSH WORDS FOR AKP'S ESKİŞEHİR CANDIDATE HATİPOĞLU

Özel also called Nebi Hatipoğlu, who switched from the IYI Party to the AKP and became the party's Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidate, a "thief of national will"; he used the expressions, "There is a stain on the milk, but not on our candidates. But there is a convict in front of us. Convicted of theft."

BAŞAK DEMİRTAŞ'S CANDIDACY MOVE

Regarding Başak Demirtaş's candidacy move, Özel said, "Like all candidacies, this is an approach towards the exercise of a democratic right. I have no comment."

News Source: 12punto

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