CHP Leader and Presidential Candidate Kılıçdaroğlu in Balıkesir: "All the poor will be under the care of Mr Kemal"

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairperson and Nation Alliance Presidential Candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu attended a rally in Balıkesir today together with Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party Chairperson Ali Babacan, Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş.

CHP leader and Presidential Candidate Kılıçdaroğlu said the following in his speech at the rally:

- "It is time for a change. We need a new spirit, a new understanding. I am expressing this not only as a politician but also as a simple citizen. We need a change. We have become too polarised; we have drifted too far apart. Let's unite now; let's embrace each other. Now is the time for unity; now is the time for embracing. It is not the time for fighting; it is the time for reconciliation; it is not the time to say harsh words to each other. It is time to overcome this pessimistic atmosphere Turkey is in."

- The countryside is becoming deserted, you know. Young people are not staying. The state will pay the social security premiums of young people and all women working in rural areas. Thus, women working in rural areas will have the right to pension. And when she retires, she will live in peace."

- "I will bring right, law and justice. Look, our young sons graduate from university and are unemployed. The father cannot look at the face of his son. There is no money in one's hand; opportunities are limited. We need to rectify this situation. They take the KPSS and get high scores but are eliminated from the verbal exam. I will abolish the verbal; I will abolish it completely. We will end the favouritism; we will end the patronage. People with low incomes don't have a relative. So what will happen? Will he be left without care? No sir, Mr Kemal will care of them. Don't worry; all poor people will be in the care of Mr Kemal."

-" They have turned Turkey into a crossing point. There is no such thing as a border. Those who break their strings come to Turkey. They come from Afghanistan, Africa, Syria, and Iraq. It is as if this country has no borders. However, go to the border where the following is written: 'The border is honour'. They have turned it into a passageway. We have 3 million 600 thousand Syrian brothers. I said we will send all our Syrian brothers and sisters to Syria within two years at the latest."

- "This brother of yours worked in the state for 27.5 years, most of it in the Ministry of Finance... How to make a budget, how to collect revenue, how to fight against wastefulness, this is how I spent my whole life. You will see I will end wastefulness. I know how that extravagance violates the rights of people experiencing poverty. You will see how it will be prevented. There are 16 aeroplanes, right, under the Presidency? I will sell 16 planes; we will create new aircraft fleets to extinguish forest fires. We will give it to the Turkish Air Association. The Turkish Air Association is an ancient organisation. It is an organisation founded by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. That organisation will again become the number one organisation in forest fires. We will also fix the Red Crescent. It is also an ancient organisation. We will leave the tent business. We will take the men in charge of it and throw them aside. Enough; we will end the period of receiving salaries from 5, 6, 7 places."