Speaking at his party’s caucus meeting, CHP leader Özgür Özel confirmed the messages allegedly exchanged with Keçiören Mayor Mesut Özarslan, who had resigned from the CHP, and read them out one by one from the podium. “Everything I said was aimed at assessing his character,” Özel stated, claiming he had not made any accusations against Özarslan’s family. He said they were marching toward power, adding that on this path, ‘the rotten and the sound’ would be separated, and regarding Özarslan, ‘bad seed’ Using these words, Özel said, “We can take power with Zeydan Karalar, with Mansur Yavaş, or with Ekrem İmamoğlu.”.
Özel arrived at the hall with Mansur Yavaş, the Mayor of Ankara.
In addition to Yavaş, CHP mayors from the capital’s 15 districts attended the CHP caucus meeting to demonstrate their unity and solidarity.
“I CALLED HIM TO THE HEADQUARTERS THREE TIMES”
Dear friends, let’s get to a hot topic. This government has disrupted the nation’s peace, reduced people’s livelihoods, and as a result, suffered its first defeat in the most recent elections. We had promised this when we first entered the electoral arena; we said that just as the late Ecevit, when he led his party in four elections—two local and two general—in the 1970s, managed to bring his party out on top in all of them, if I become the party’s general chairman and fail to come in first in even one election, I will step down from my post and take the party to a convention.
Five months later, we took our first test. Thanks to God, and thanks to all of your hard work and tremendous efforts, we made our party the leading party 47 years later. We also handed Erdoğan his first defeat as party leader. He used to say this to Devlet Bey: ‘Instead of the old Türkeş, it’s been 30 years, and he keeps losing but still hasn’t stepped down. ’Come on,” he’d say, “if a party can’t emerge as the first party from these elections, let them step down.” He’d turn to Kemal Bey and say it, and he’d say it to his other political rivals. This year, since his party didn’t come in first in the elections last year, he hasn’t said a word. He hasn’t mentioned stepping down at all.
Of course, we won 65% of Turkey. We won the entire Aegean region. In one region, the municipality is just… we managed to become the only party with a municipality in every region. Of course, in Ankara, we increased our number of municipalities from two for years, to three in the 2019 election period, and to four just before the election, up to 16. We have to give credit where credit is due. We have to give credit for that process to our Ankara Metropolitan Mayor, Mansur Yavaş… Sometimes, with the polls in hand, we’d run back and forth four or five times a day during the candidate selection process, sitting together and listening to our organization. In some places we conducted polls; in others, special studies were carried out.
But something happened that no one believed possible: in a region where it was said the CHP couldn’t win more than three municipalities, we won 16. One of these was the Keçiören Municipality. Throughout his term, numerous allegations were raised against the Mayor of Keçiören. I summoned him to our Central Headquarters on multiple occasions—three times on special agendas. And I said, ‘These allegations exist; what do you have to say about them?’ He… I said, ‘If you’ve done anything wrong, say so now; we have no business with those who engage in corruption. Turkey has placed its hopes in us; if there’s something you’re afraid of, tell us, and we’ll take the necessary action.’
He said that everything that was said was slander, that he had never been involved in corruption or theft—and he swore to that effect here, with President Mansur and our 15 mayors, our 14 mayors, everyone as witnesses; to each and every one of us, to anyone who asked, he denied everything with such solemn, solemn, solemn oaths—involving his children in those oaths, dragging his family into those dreadful oaths and proofs—until just three days ago, just three days ago!
“He doesn’t answer his friends” calls; he’s running away from the city”
Then reports started coming in from all sides that he was holding secret talks with the AK Party, that he was going to switch sides… We later learned, for example, that a city council member had told Mayor Mansur a month earlier: ‘He made me an offer, asking, ’If I switch to the AK Party, will you join me?’” The name is known, the person is known, the date is known. And there are such things that, in a moment, completely different witnesses will come forward regarding this—there’s a group of surprise witnesses for this.
And we’re learning that he’ll be joining the AK Party on Wednesday. The phones are ringing, but he’s not answering the provincial chairman’s calls, he’s not answering his friends‘ calls—he’s fleeing the city. His closest associates say, ’Yes, he was joining.‘ And on that note, on that note, I called him the day before. A thousand and one oaths! The compliments he heaped on me—’Don’t say that‘—starting with, ’You’re the greatest leader to lead the party since Atatürk,‘ and then using profane epithets like, ’Am I that dishonorable? Am I that… that… that…?” and so on…
“May God punish me if I have any ill will toward the family”
The next day, he turns off his phone. So, since I can’t reach him by phone, I send him a message. Those messages—the ones where he says, ‘Sir, he cursed my mother…’ God forbid! What mother? The very mother who gave birth to you would be ashamed of you for dragging her into every single thing you say. For dragging his mother into every single thing he says! Aside from that, what I’m saying is aimed at assessing his character. If I have any ill will toward his family, may God punish me. But some people are saying from there, out of lies: ‘He insulted our national values, he insulted this…’ Well, you know… ‘He insulted our sacred values, he insulted my family.’ Prove one, prove one!
He read the private messages one by one
Look, it wasn’t me—he’s the one who leaked it… If I were going to leak this, I’d talk to him first, wouldn’t I? Look at the messages—I’d be so scared, so ashamed. Look at the messages. Where is the CHP Chair? Where are certain people? What kind of party is the CHP? What kind of party are certain people? The document leaked against us and supposedly to be submitted to court—you’re so deep in a mistake that you’re trying to crawl into the laps of those you called thieves yesterday, those you called scoundrels, those who called you a thief, those who attacked you. They’re deceiving you, son, they’re deceiving you.
If I have a flaw, if I’ve stolen something… If you have a flaw, if you’ve stolen something… I can’t accept that anyway. But if you’re going to those who accept you for your theft, you’re already on the wrong path. Now these are the things I’ll be ashamed of, and the proof of it…
Transcripts of our conversations—what I said to him and what he said—that he leaked:
“You came to me and said, ‘Mr. Chairman, I’ve done nothing wrong, I’m not at fault—they’re lying and slandering me. Don’t believe them. Trust me: I haven’t wronged anyone, I haven’t taken bribes, and I haven’t stolen anything.’”.
I believed you too. Now you’re giving in to those who don’t believe you—those who supposedly slandered you. Or by going to them, you’re admitting that you lied to me and that you’re actually a thief.
I don’t want to believe this. I want to see the Mesut whose eyes were burning with passion that day and who said he believed. But I realize that even that Mesut was a lie. I’ve realized that you’re a thief.
And by making deals with those who know about your theft and those who witnessed it, you’re trying to save yourself. In that case, you’ve gotten what you deserve.
Know this, Mesut: I need a Mesut who comes to my office, looks me straight in the eye, speaks honestly, and says he hasn’t been involved in theft, graft, or bribery.
If that Mesut has deceived me, then may his path be clear. I will never, ever have anything to do with thieves or corrupt officials. That’s the AK Party’s business. Those who embrace you, those who embrace you—those who filed a criminal complaint against you will have to eat their words; we don’t do things like that.
This is not the era of thieves. This is not the era of the AK Party. That era is coming to an end. Once our revolution begins, I will not forgive you from this moment on, no matter how much you beg or how much you burn. Even if you turn back, I will not forgive you. You have just admitted that you are a thief, a corrupt official, and a scoundrel. You have sought refuge with those who speak such words and turned your back on those who defend you; you have made your choice. Since you were a thief, why did you string us along? Good riddance.
”But the day will come, the tables will turn, and you’ll fall into my hands. If I show you mercy on that day, may I be cursed.”
“THE CHP CHAIRMAN’S STANCE ON THEFT AND THE AK PARTY’S APPROACH ARE CLEAR FOR ALL TO SEE”
These are the messages Mr. Mesut obtained from his phone, which he said he would submit to the court and has sent to the press. The CHP Chairman’s stance on the theft and corruption revealed in the messages—which he leaked knowing they were meant to remain private between two individuals—and the AK Party’s approach are clear for all to see.
There are witnesses here now. You know how they say, ‘The party leader told me to do this and that, so I’m switching parties; otherwise, I wouldn’t have.’ Everyone knows it, we all know it… Are there any Ankaragücü fans here?
The leaders and prominent members of Ankaragücü’s three fan groups—Gecekondu, Sol Açık, and Bekar Evi Çocukları—are here. They told us they wanted to bring 3,000 people into the Parliament, but Aylin Hanım (Ankara MP Aylin Nazlıaka) was only able to get that many in.
This is open to all news agencies: ANKA, Anadolu Agency, Doğan News Agency, İhlas News Agency… You can speak with them in the courtyard. Just yesterday, the tribune leaders were thinking: ‘Once this scandal breaks and the public turns against us, they’ll excuse it,’ so relying on the guarantee they received on Sunday, they said: ‘I’m joining the AK Party group on Wednesday; stand by us as Ankaragücü. I’ll meet all your needs.’ What did the fan leader say? “I’ll take 10,000 dollars a month from you too!” Go ahead, do the interview and run it as a last-minute story! Go ahead!
“He’s trying to hire someone just so they can come up with a slogan for him”
Ask the Ankaragücü fan leaders. He knows that when he passes by on Wednesday, he won’t be able to take even a single matchstick from the CHP with him. It’s as if he thinks he can buy the club—the club of the glorious, honorable Atatürk, the club that proudly bears Atatürk’s name on its chest—with money; he’s trying to hire people just so they’ll chant slogans for him. Yet Ankaragücü stands not behind such shamelessness, but behind its honorable past. Behind Atatürk’s party!
“THIS LITTLE RASCAL TOOK THE PEOPLE’S HONEST VOTES AND IS TRYING TO RUN AWAY”
There are two issues here that are going to be talked about a lot—and have already been talked about a lot… You know that Tosuncuk—Tosuncuk (with a nod to Çiftlik Bank)—the one who took people’s money and ran? Well, this Tosuncuk has taken people’s hard-earned votes and is trying to run off with them too!
Now, AKP Parliamentary Member Fatih Ünal has filed a criminal complaint regarding this matter, citing ‘bid-rigging’ and various other charges in cases numbered 207871, 864, 115177, and 115178. Osman Gökçek (Member of Parliament from Ankara) has filed criminal complaints regarding this matter under case number 115707.
And when I called him on Friday evening, he said to me: ‘I won’t do that—it’s that much gold… Just send a tweet; I have something to do on Monday—can’t I just wait until then?’ Yesterday, regarding his term, the prosecutor’s office launched an investigation… or rather, an inspector was assigned to determine whether or not to grant permission for the investigation.
And Turgut Altınok, the former mayor of Keçiören, says: ‘The mayor of Keçiören who goes door to door to switch parties.’ He says: ‘For example, how is it that the contract for the water fountain with light and sound effects—which was given away to curry favor with someone in the name of switching parties—ends up going to a single company?’ In other words, he says: ‘You’re going door to door to join our party, and for that, you’re awarding the contract solely to one of us—someone from the AK Party,’ he says.
“Those who resist are lying down like lions, while the others are turning tail and defecting to the AK Party”
I’ve asked this over and over. They say, ‘It’s this Portaş guy.’ How many times has Portaş been audited? So many inspectors have come and gone. But what Portaş doesn’t have, he has himself—or maybe it’s that guy in the high heels; he tells everyone the same thing. Those who resist are lying low like lions; Zeydan Karalar is lying low and then coming out, while the other one is switching sides and joining the AK Party!
“You are caught up in a disgraceful political situation”
I’m asking the AK Party. If what Turgut Altınok, Osman Gökçek, or Fatih Ünal said about this is a slander, then you’ve been caught red-handed in this smear campaign, haven’t you? If Mesut is an honest man, then you’ve been caught red-handed in slander.
Mesut, if this slander is true, if these allegations are true, then if Mesut is corrupt, you’re engaging in a politics so shameless that you threaten him with a crackdown while he’s corrupt, yet when it comes to someone like Aydın, you’re willing to clean him up. Come on then! Come on then, Mr. Tayyip, come on! Make the announcement tomorrow, pin on the badge. Will you confess to the dishonor of making slanderous accusations, or the dishonor of whitewashing a thief when he comes to you? Pin on the badge so I can see! Pin on the badge so I can see!
You cannot derail this journey to power with two fraudsters, slander, false witnesses, and smear campaigns. It’s that clear—here, right in front of you, the leader of the main opposition is saying it plainly: You will have to admit to one of these two things. You’ve been caught red-handed. By trying to pull a fast one with Mesut, you’ve exposed yourselves in all the schemes you’ve been running and in the politics you’ll pursue from now on. Let the people see what these are all about.
“THERE ARE NO RIGHT-WINGERS OR LEFT-WINGERS IN THIS MATTER—THERE ARE ONLY HONEST PEOPLE AND DISHONEST ONES!”
As for us… A few columnists wrote today: “Sir, aren’t those who nominated the candidates going to engage in self-criticism, or aren’t they going to do this or that…” Look, if any self-criticism is to be made, I’ll be the one to do it all. It’s all on me. Why?
We worked on each city individually. After 47 years, we made the party the leading party. We won of the municipalities. We’ve broken records in places where people said it couldn’t be done. Then, when a single bad seed, a single broken piece, or some other nonsense comes along, you’ll all start talking…
Having been active in other political parties in the past, the Conservative Democrats and Nationalist Democrats—whose colors converge under the Turkish flag in the Turkey Alliance—are all being lumped together in an unprecedented way, as if they were all part of the same evil…
Where did Topuklu Efe come from, friends? We come straight from the Women’s Branch—from our ranks, from our seats in parliament. The mayor of Şehitkamil in Gaziantep has seven generations of CHP members in his family. This isn’t about left or right—it’s about the honorable and the dishonorable!
“You can’t take a rotten seed like Mesut to power, but…”
I take full responsibility for all the decisions made. I take full responsibility for all the decisions made. When you take over the municipality, you’ll form a convoy and join the dance; but the moment a single bad seed causes trouble, you’ll turn around and start “self-criticizing, self-criticizing.”.
A party on its way to power will have its share of both successes and failures. The weak are weeded out, and the strong are the ones who march toward power. It is the strong who march toward power!
You can’t take power with a rotten seed like Mesut, but you can with Zeydan! You can with Mansur Yavaş! You can with Mayor Ekrem! We march with the honorable, the hardworking, the Atatürkists, the Nationalists, the Conservatives, the Right-wingers and the Left-wingers, the Kurds and the Turks, the Alevis and the Sunnis—with honest people, with brave people! Come on, Mr. Mayor, let’s march to power, let’s march to power!