CHP Leader and Presidential Candidate Kılıçdaroğlu: "AK Party Endangers the State, It Doesn't Even Realise It"

CHP Chairperson and National Alliance Presidential Candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said, "Dirty propaganda continues. 'Sir, Mr Kemal will come, UAVs and UCAVs will be taken to the aircraft hanger, and social aids will be cut.' They say all these lies without even trembling. They even turned the State's defence and army into election propaganda. They turned the army ship into an AK Party election bus. We are experiencing unbelievable things in this election. The AK Party is jeopardising the State. It doesn't even realise it. Because it doesn't even care."

CHP Chairman and Presidential Candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu made the following statements in the video he shared on his social media account this evening with the title "National Defence Industry."

"Dear people, dear young people;

Dirty propaganda continues. 'Sir, Mr Kemal will come; UAVs, UCAVs will be taken to the aircraft hanger, social aids will be cut...' They say all these lies without even a tremble in their voices. They even turned the State's defence and army into election propaganda. Have you ever seen such propaganda in the past? Have you ever seen or heard of our hundred-year-old defence industry being used in such a way? It still needs to be done. I swear it hasn't been done. Why not? Because some things are sacred, they are a common issue for all of us. A responsible politician would never do this so that there would be no divergence here. But Erdoğan lacks responsibility.

For example, can you separate the engineers of these ships as AK Party, CHP, and İYİ Party? You cannot. The party is one thing; the Turkish State is another. Regarding the State, we are no different from each other. They don't understand; there will be no state with this mindset.

Regarding Turkey, can it matter which engineer votes for which party? Then why is he making propaganda for the palace? Why is he politicising the State's defence industry? Imagine, they turned the ship, the ship of the army, into an AK Party election bus. We are experiencing unbelievable things in this election.

The AK Party is jeopardising the State. It doesn't even realise it. Because it doesn't even care. Party state means putting the State at significant risk. Let me be clear about my stance on this issue; they have broken the load-bearing columns of the State. The State is shaking, the State. I will strengthen those pillars before, God forbid, an earthquake. The defence industry is one of these pillars and must never be politicised because we rely on something other than the enemy not coming but on being ready for him.

Readiness is a state of mind that begins with the belief that the country is worthy of defence rather than a series of technical preparations. This is readiness. Eighty-five million people in Turkey are in this State of mind. And it should remain so. So why are you alienating people from their own ships and defence industry? It's all of our vessels, all of our UCAVs.

Whatever our political debates, our army must stay out of them. Just as campaigning cannot be done with the flag, it should not be done with the vessel of the military because the independence and national interests of our country are above everything.

Finally, I will end by adding this; have those constantly slandered done anything about the islands armed by Greece? Everything is bullshit, my dear people; everything is a lie. But be patient. The State will be the State again. All parties, including the CHP, of which I am the chairman, will know their limits. State and party affairs will no longer be mixed. Anyway, as I said, be patient a little longer.

May the peace be with you."