İYİ Party Chair Akşener: Don’t Attempt to Usurp Authority of Ekrem İmamoğlu

* Photo: Ali Balıkçı / AA

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İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener addressed the members of her party at the weekly group meeting in Parliament today (November 5). 

"The mentality polarizing the nation with a strategy of political tension does not work anymore. It is the expectation and message of our nation", Akşener said and made the following remarks in brief:

'Everyone has won, but world leader Erdoğan'

(Operation Peace Spring) "The operation that was launched with the aim of transforming a 480-kilometer wide and 30-kilometer deep area into a safe zone has been left unfinished with yet another lack of vision.

"I previously warned you and said, 'I hope that we will not lose what we have won in the field at the table.' When we look at the situation today, we see that we are in 120 kilometers of the targeted 480 kilometers.

"Though three quarters of our borders are still under threat, the government is presenting it as an achievement. Russia stood in our way. The Damascus government has taken most of the region under its control. The US has taken away its paid terrorists and withdrawn.

"And, what do the power holders do? They swallow the letter and tweets of Trump and threats of American senators. They calculate costs and expenses with building contractors, asking 'How much money will we have to pay to accommodate how many Syrians?'

"Assad has won, Putin has won, Iran has won, Trump has been profiting. And as for the loser, it is the world leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

'Bosphorus belongs to the nation'

(Draft bill on Bosphorus) "They are preparing to usurp the authorities of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality in Bosphorus area. Bosphorus is one of the most beautiful places of the world. It is also historical heritage. Since the moment when they saw the uneasiness of the nation, the government that has drowned İstanbul in concrete has amended the Bosphorus Building Law.

"As they see that they will lose the municipality, they have taken steps to bring it under the jurisdiction of Ankara [central government]. Bosphorus and its vicinity are full of unlawfully constructed buildings, including the building of the family business owned by the mayor who ruled İstanbul for years.

"He wants to deprive İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality of its authority. I am warning from here: The owner of Bosphorus, the pearl of the world, is the Turkish Nation. Dear Erdoğan, do not obstinate with the nation. Do not attempt to usurp the authority given to Ekrem İmamoğlu by the nation, who took this authority from you as they saw how bad you governed the city.

'Learn to respect the nation's will'

"It does not end well if you obstinate with the national will and the nation. If so, late Demirel would not have come to power after the coup on May 27 [in 1960] The same Demirel would not have come to power again after the March 12 Memorandum [in 1971].

"If obstinating with the nation bore any fruit, late Turgut Özal - rather than the party of the junta - would not have come to power after September 12.

"If obstinating with the nation worked, the ones who put you behind bars due to a poem would still be in power, you would not have come to power. Dear Erdoğan, learn to respect the will of the nation who opened all doors for you." (DB/SD)