CHP head says President Erdoğan is polarizing Turkey

ANTALYA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to secure his seat by pitting people against each other, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said.

“They turned this heaven-like country into hell. The economy is crashing and unemployment has skyrocketed. They began putting the blame on everyone. [Erdoğan] thinks that he will forever remain in his seat if the nation comes to blows,” Kılıçdaroğlu said on March 19 at a joint rally with İYİ (Good) Party for the upcoming March 31 elections in the southern province of Antalya.

“There should not even be an excuse to remain in one’s seat. We are all mortals. Today we are alive but tomorrow we will not be. We must leave a decent legacy behind,” Kılıçdaroğlu added.

The CHP leader also called on Erdoğan to give “peaceful messages from his seat” and said religion must not be abused for the sake of politics.

“You should not play with the honor, identities, and lifestyles of the people and should not abuse the faith of the people for the sake of politics,” he said.

Kılıçdaroğlu also stressed that the CHP and İYİ Party are fighting for democracy, unity and solidarity.

“Turkey has some problems, but these are not unsolvable. We can overcome these difficulties with our nation’s potential and our country’s beauty,” he stressed.

“If our mayoral candidates win this election, the whole world will say ‘[Turkey’s nation] has chosen democracy despite all the oppression from the ruling party,” he added.

Meanwhile, İYİ Party leader Meral Akşener also stressed that her party’s alliance with the CHP is ready to receive those from the grassroots of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

“They labeled us terrorists, but we are embracing all AKP and MHP voters as our brothers and sisters. All of these are efforts of distorting the agenda of Turkey from economic troubles,” she said at the rally.

“We will tenaciously and insistently continue to voice your troubles. Our mayors will be the best ones to implement ‘producing municipal work’,” she added.