CHP Deputy Chairman Bülent Kuşoğlu made evaluations regarding the transition of some CHP mayors to the AKP during a live broadcast he attended on KRT.
Responding to a question about the reasons for the mayors' party changes, Kuşoğlu said, "The AK Party has moved very close to the CHP. They do not see it as very foreign. Therefore, they are not seen as very distant either. The AK Party has moved closer to republican values."
Stating that party changes cannot be explained by a single reason, Kuşoğlu argued that some transitions might be due to pressure or anxiety. Kuşoğlu used the expression, "There are also transitions due to fear."
It had been reported that in Istanbul, the mayors of Tuzla and Çekmeköy, as well as the Deputy Mayor of Şile, had recently decided to switch to the AKP. It had previously been reflected in the public domain that the Deputy Mayor of Beykoz had also switched to the AKP.
In a statement he made in previous days, Kuşoğlu also criticized those who left the CHP to form a new party, arguing that the separations were not based on ideological grounds.
Regarding this issue, Kuşoğlu had said, "We were together just yesterday. We have no differences in terms of thought. When they left, they did not say, 'Our sociological base has changed' or 'We are no longer Kemalist.' They also did not say, 'You are not Kemalist.' They left for seat-related and emotional reasons."
Rejecting the accusations that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was "acting with the Palace," Kuşoğlu had stated that these claims were not based on concrete evidence.
Arguing that the opposition must act together for success in the presidential election, Kuşoğlu had claimed that the formation of a new party benefited President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, assessing that "those who divide the CHP are working with the Palace."
News Source: 12punto
