CHP leader criticizes Erdoğan for not presenting budget himself

ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for not presenting the government budget to the parliament himself but delegating it to party members.

“In the past, the prime minister would present the budget to the parliament with great self-confidence and defend it. Today, there is no government behind the budget. The appointees have come to argue,” Kılıçdaroğlu said addressing budget talks at the parliament assembly.

“We do not know where the money was spent, as the will that spent the money did not come here,” he said.
It was “disrespectful” to the parliament that the elected president does not address the lawmakers and defend his budget, the CHP leader said.

“If the people chose you and gave the money, you will come and defend your budget and answer the criticism,” he added.

Kılıçdaroğlu suggested that Erdoğan “was not old Erdoğan, he cannot tolerate criticism.”

“Because he doesn’t want to hear the truth. The people around him say what good things you have done. This system also prevented you from doing politics. You cannot do politics,” the CHP leader stated.

Kılıçdaroğlu claimed that there were state institutions that do not inform the Court of Accounts, which audits whether the budget is spent correctly on behalf of the parliament. Some didn’t even publish their annual reports, he noted.

“State expenditures cannot be made arbitrarily. The state is a respected institution. It must not be governed by the will of a person,” Kılıçdaroğlu stated.