News and Views 66th Issue

On İmamoğlu Verdict , Saraçhane Rally, CHP Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's Speech at TGNA and Konya Declaration by 11 Metropolitan Mayors

On the 14th of December, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul's metropolitan mayor from Republican People's Party (CHP), was accused of insulting 11 members of Turkey's High Election Board (YSK) while talking about the board's decision to annul and rerun the March 31, 2019, Istanbul mayoral election.

To remind, The High Election Board (YSK) did not recognize İmamoğlu's initial victory in the 2019 local elections and ordered a repeat vote in which İmamoğlu won again with a significant difference against his opponent AKP's Binali Yıldırım.

The Story Behind the Verdict

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu from the governing party, on November 4, 2019, had said, "The idiot went to the European Parliament and complained about Turkey. This nation will make you pay for this", while his words were referring to Metropolitan Mayor İmamoğlu. İmamoğlu responded: "Those who cancel the election on March 31 are idiots."

Then Imamoğlu was sued for "publicly insulting public officials working as a board due to their duties." However, he rejected the claims, saying his remark was against Interior Minister Soylu, not the High Election Board (YSK) members.

On November 14, in addition to the prison sentence, the court ruled that Article 53 -1 of the Turkish Penal Code includes "deprivation of the exercise of certain rights," meaning that the decision would impose on İmamoğlu.

What could happen next?

If the higher courts ratify the decision, then İmamoğlu will have to resign from the mayorship of Istanbul. As one of the results, the municipal assembly could select the next mayor. AKP members have a majority in the municipal assembly. Moreover, İmamoğlu will not be allowed to run for office.

CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu returned from the Berlin Trip: "We will defend justice. We will never let those who commit injustice get away with it."

CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the CHP Delegation were in Berlin for a series of meetings as a continuation of CHP's "Call to the Second Century Meeting" that CHP held in the USA and the UK. After the decision, CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the CHP delegation returned to Istanbul. Before he departed from Berlin, CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu released a video statement,"We see very clearly how the laws are violated, how a state that has been surrendered to the will of a person, how justice is rotten, and where the sense of revenge has taken. But no one should worry about this; We will defend justice. We will never let those who commit injustice get away with it," he said.

Later he released a new video, "I want everyone to know very well that in this country, the coup plotters are now at the Palace, and this ban is also coming from the Palace! The people of February 28(Note: referring to the February 28, 1997, Coup) are now inside the Palace. However, you forgot something; CHP won't take a step back," he said.

Late at night, CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and CHP Delegation with Istanbul Provincial Head Canan Kaftancıoğlu met with Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Speaking at the İBB building, Kılıçdaroğlu said, "The injustice against Ekrem means the usurpation of the will of 16 million people. Suppose the judiciary usurps the rights of 16 million people; we can not claim it as the judiciary. It is the judiciary that has handed over its will to someone. We do not call them judges."

Saraçhane Rally

On December 15, the Leaders of Table of Six held a rally in front of Istanbul Municipality's building to protest the conviction of Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Before the rally, all opposition leaders called people to Saraçhane to support İmamoğlu against the "unlawful" and "non-democratic" decision.

During the rally, İmamoğlu was the first one who took the stage. İmamoğlu reminded that this was not the first time the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) tried to stop him. After İmamoğlu, CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu took the stage. He said they would assume power in the upcoming elections scheduled to take place in June 2023.

Kılıçdaroğlu said they would make the justice system function again. "A judge damaged the will of the nation. We will rebuild the national will. Justice has now turned into a fundamental problem in Turkey," he added.

On December 20, CHP Group's General Assembly Meeting

On December 20, İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu attended the CHP Group's General Assembly Meeting at the TGNA.

CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, during his speech, focused on bringing peace to Türkiye, establishing genuine democracy in Türkiye, and evolving into a process where capable people lead government organizations based on merit. He continued: "We will achieve all these with perseverance, determination and patience. We act together as six leaders and chairpersons; we all believe in the same. We prioritize democracy. We will bring democracy to this country. There is no other option. We will do it together."

What will CHP do when they come to power?

"Let me call out to my farmer brothers and sisters here, and maybe you will remember this: What will the CHP do when they come to power? First, the interest rates of the loans you borrowed from banks will be zero overnight. We will put an end to the current order… We will do basin-based planning. It will be basin-based. Everyone will know what they will cultivate beforehand, and not one farmer will ever make a loss. Each farmer will profit from what they have cultivated; no loss at all. We will introduce red diesel. This is what we will do. This government gives diesel to yachts without SCT or VTA when they should give it to farmers. We will provide it to farmers. Then they will go plough with it; we will do that. Farmers will never pay a fee to veterinarians, agricultural engineers or agricultural technicians within the scope of the basin-based planning. They will have agricultural technicians, agricultural engineers and, if they are engaged with livestock, veterinarians ready to serve them whenever they need. They will provide all services free of charge for villagers, for those who break a sweat and produce. They will all be civil servants.

We will pay social security premiums for women and young people in rural areas. They will work there, produce and retire when the time comes. So listen, I am calling out to all my farmer brothers and sisters: take note of this. Write down what we are promising you. You will all see how a promise is kept and how we stand firmly by our word. The entire world will see it. The world will witness it."

On Imamoğlu Verdict: "This verdict was drafted in the Palace"

"Let me call out to my police brothers and sisters here. And to my prosecutor and judge brothers and sisters who do their job with integrity. And to guardians. We will give you what is rightfully yours. We will bring justice. Don't you worry at all? We will win. We won't worry.

Now let me touch upon the last development—the picture we have seen recently. I will try to summarize it in a way that everyone can understand. I want our fellow citizens to listen carefully. Question number one: Did they file a completely made-up lawsuit first? Yes, they did. Then, did the Palace intervene in the work of this court? Yes, it did. Did they then ensure that the court made this verdict that would never have been made otherwise? Yes, they did. They did not even try to hide anything they did. They did it openly, in the open, for everyone to see. They slaughtered justice with 85 million people watching. I want all my fellow citizens, regardless of what they are, right-wingers, leftists, moderates, head-scarfed or not, wherever they live in the world, whichever geography of Türkiye they live in, to know about this injustice."

"Meanwhile, a servant of the Palace whose scandalous photos would make a good photo novel (referring to Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu) serves this filthy agenda. He seems pretty encouraged. He starts to talk, too. What does he say? That he would unseat the beloved mayor of 16 million people. Look at this gentleman! Who are you to challenge Ekrem Imamoğlu? You cannot hold a candle to Ekrem Imamoğlu. It would be best to wash that mouth before uttering Ekrem Imamoğlu's name. Wash your mouth first. As I said, who are you to challenge and compare yourself to him? You were appointed to your office. He was elected. I know very well what you have been up to. I know that you have been up to no good. Look, crypto scammers are on your side. You have to send messages to the mob secretly. You take photos with drug lords. You are the number one man when it comes to dirty money. Do you think I do not know any of this? I know everything. I said this before, and I will repeat it so that everyone can hear me: Imamoğlu is more than you can chew. If you try to swallow him, you will choke on him. We will block you.

Well, let me get back to the process in question. The entire lawsuit was a scam. They anticipated that the court would not rule in their favour. So, they banished that judge. They relieved him of duty. They sent him into exile. They put another person in his seat, as preferred by the Palace. Someone who sold his free will to the Palace. Someone who wears a judge's robe should never have been given the status of a judge. They told him, "You will decide". This verdict was drafted in the Palace. He just reads the verdict. The prosecutor was not there when he read the verdict. A judge cannot read a verdict if the prosecutor is not present. But that judge is not a judge. That judge was given orders, and he just followed them. Of course, the people of the country went mad when they heard. People revolted. Honest to God, people went mad, and they started to revolt in the face of this much injustice, this much unlawfulness.

Esteemed friends, they started to think, "What have we done?". So, they made Fahrettin the Pergola Guy (referring to Directorate of Communication Director Fahrettin Altun) step in. So, the pergola guy stepped in. There is one thing they are good at propaganda. They wanted to muddy the waters, so they first tried to create confusion. They said, "This was a conspiracy". They said this, and they said that… They pulled the acrobat scam to distract people. Let me repeat this: they removed the acrobat scam. In the past, acrobats performed during festivals. Then, pickpockets would approach people to rob them and say, "Look at this acrobat, bravo, look how good he is". When people looked away, they took their money. They are pulling the same scam now. But the people of this country did not buy the acrobat trick. They held onto their mayor. They held onto justice."

"Esteemed friends, our Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu is here today. I will state something from this rostrum that you do not know. Something that those who closely know us, our friends and comrades, know very well. So that all fellow citizens can learn it too. Ekrem Imamoğlu and I are like father and son. We are like father and son. He is like a son to CHP as much as he is like a son to me. So I have to stick with him."

"I am now addressing those pickpockets and courtiers. Just go away; you are way in over your heads. I also want to say something to Erdoğan, from one human being to another. Ambition is a monster that is never satisfied. Let me repeat: ambition is a monster that is never met. Do not be a slave to your ambitions. Do not give in to your ambitions. Do not spill out hatred. Be, just be fair. Did they not teach you what justice means? Did they not teach you what integrity means? Did they not teach you what embracing each other means? Do not give in to your ambitions. If you give in to your ambitions -which you do- then your time is up: you will see what is what in 4-5 months."

"Dear comrades, we have so much to do! We have so much to do. We do not have time for this nonsense. We all know that justice will be served one day. It will be tomorrow if it is not today. It will be the day after that if it is not tomorrow. But I want all my fellow citizens to know this: this will be taken care of. Judges will, of course, get engaged with it. Lawyers will, of course, get engaged with it. The people's conscience is, of course, bleeding. We are going to work all together to stop the bleeding. But I want all my fellow citizens to be sure of the following: Türkiye is a beautiful country. Türkiye is a mighty country. We have built our team. We have found our money. We will have Türkiye rapidly grow and develop. Everyone will do their job in a just way. Everyone will do their job with peace of mind. And we all know this very well: Türkiye needs democracy. Türkiye needs growth. Türkiye needs development. Türkiye needs justice. Türkiye needs embracement. And we will most certainly achieve all of these, God willing. I want everyone to be sure of it.

Everyone should know this very well: we will achieve all of these step by step, with great determination. You will see. Everyone should wait for Mister Kemal."

Full text of CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's Speech

On December 24: "Konya Declaration" from 11 Metropolitan Mayors

"We are Metropolitan Mayors who were elected under the leadership of our Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who suffered assassination attempts, lynching, and attacks under the term of this government; did not lose heart, surrender or bow down; created the Nation Alliance with wisdom and great vision; expanded the front of democracy and established a big Türkiye Alliance in the Table of Six.

We fully put our trust in our Chairperson, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in this journey.

We do not doubt that the Table of six will bring victory to our country in the 2023 elections.

Remember: “No chair is worth toying with Türkiye’s democracy and the people’s peace. The government must bring the people to the elections in peace and tranquillity. It will not benefit anyone or any group to stress our people with artificial crises and issue verdicts that will cause social reactions in this process. We, 11 Metropolitan Mayors, hereby emphasize once again that we stand by more than 40 million citizens that we serve; feel that their problems are our own problems and implement our solution projects.”

We will further expand our union walking hand in hand, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder on the path to democracy, justice and rights, and we will rejoin bright days in the future, all together.

We will see what we can achieve all together on this path. Atatürk once said, “There are no hopeless situations; there are hopeless people. I have never lost hope.” We will never lose hope, either.

Our nation will never lose hope."

Full text of "Konya Declaration"

On December 25: New Allegations to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

On December 25, the Interior Ministry announced that they filed a criminal complaint against the opposition-run Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality after claiming that 1668 personnel linked to "terrorist organizations" work in the municipality.