Yılmaz Büyükerşen recounts the candidate selection process: 'I wasn't sad, but...'

The Republican People's Party (CHP) Party Assembly (PM) officially announced its six metropolitan mayoral candidates following its meeting. 

At the PM meeting, it was decided to continue with the incumbent mayors in Adana, Mersin, Aydın, and Hatay. In Eskişehir, one of the most closely watched cities, an era has officially come to an end.

25-year mayor Yılmaz Büyükerşen, who had applied for candidacy from the CHP, was not nominated this time. Instead of the 86-year-old Büyükerşen, Ayşe Ünlüce, whom he had pointed to, was nominated.

Recounting what was discussed during the candidate selection process for the first time, Büyükerşen said regarding the polls conducted by the headquarters: "If our party members don't know us after 25 years, having to get to know us through a poll was a hurtful event. We were hurt, we were a bit bruised. I wasn't sad, but I was hurt, to be more precise."

Speaking to İpek Özbey from Sözcü, Büyükerşen's statements are as follows;

"This term, when the 25 years were up, I was thinking about not being a candidate. I was saying 'Enough is enough.' Also, this 'change' movement emerged. It's obvious that I'm old. I'm 86. Let's leave this business on a high note, let me rest now. I have articles to write, books to read, I will write new books.

'WE ACCEPTED THE INSTRUCTION'

While in this situation, you know, the deadline for candidacy applications was 5:00 PM on the 5th of last month. Our provincial head calls our new Chairman. He says, 'We don't have a metropolitan mayoral candidate. What will we do? There hasn't been a single application until this hour.' Upon that, he gave an instruction, saying, 'See them immediately, take their petitions, and enter them into the computer and send them to me via the internet before 17:00 passes.' We accepted the new Chairman's words as an instruction. Even though I didn't have this intention, I wrote my petition immediately so as not to cause a problem, and I sent it along with my other two friends.

'WE WERE ALREADY HURT WHEN IT CAME TO THE POLLS'

We look, the candidates started to be announced. We are not there. We asked 'Why?' why it took so long. They said, 'We are conducting polls.' 'What kind of polls are you conducting?' 'Whether the public wants you or not?' They said to me implicitly, 'You are 86 years old, you know there are innovators. Change is desired.' 'What will happen, what shall we do? Let's leave then.' They said, 'No, we are conducting polls.'

We met with the Chairman in Ankara. In the results of the polls, the satisfaction rate with me was 80 out of 100. However, they said, 'This is fine, but is change desired in Eskişehir or not?' That was also a poll. When it came to the polls, we were already hurt. The three mayors, all three of us were hurt.

'I WASN'T SAD, BUT I WAS HURT'

If our party members don't know us after 25 years, having to get to know us through a poll was a hurtful event. We were hurt, we were a bit bruised. I wasn't sad, but I was hurt, to be more precise. Especially me. When the situation reached the press, they asked the Chairman. The Chairman said the following words exactly on television: 'Eskişehir is Yılmaz Hoca's child. We will talk to him about his child's future, and we will determine it that way.' We had a meeting, and I saw that I would of course entrust my child to a guardian I can trust.

I said that I insisted on candidacy. In our previous meeting, he had asked me: 'If you don't run, if you give up, who could it be?' I said I have my secretary-general, a lawyer. I wanted to say, 'If you choose her instead of me, I will withdraw my application. This would be the first example, and it would set an example for the CHP's shortage of female personnel in Turkey and the difficulties it faces in this regard. It would give courage to all enlightened, intellectual, Kemalist women in Turkey,' I made such an offer.

'I ASKED, "WHO ARE THOSE WHO DON'T WANT US?"'

There is a conceptual confusion, or rather a difference in understanding. I courageously asked the Chairman, 'Who are those who don't want us?' He said, 'We are not very numerous, we are 15 people.' I don't know who they are. I only know one of them. He is my student, he is my graduate. He was a very naughty, mischievous student of mine. I won't give his name. He is not in the Party Assembly now. There is no need to talk about them."

News Source: 12punto