Turkey needs new blood, new name: CHP presidential candidate İnce

KAHRAMANMARAŞ

Turkey needs “new blood” and a “new name” as its president in order to move forward, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) presidential candidate Muharrem İnce said on June 18 at a rally in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş.

“Under my presidency, our children will get a good education … We’ll improve industry based on agriculture. We’ll save our pastures and agricultural lands and prevent our human power from being idle. We’ll utilize the seas much more. But a tired man cannot accomplish this. Someone who have ruled the country for 16 years, someone who has taken the dollar from 1.30 Turkish Liras to 4.60 liras value cannot do this. Turkey needs new blood, a new name,” İnce was quoted as saying by state-run Anadolu Agency.

“If we cannot catch the big changes [going on in the world], we’ll be left poor in 100 years. The world is changing and we have to keep up with the change. [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan is saying, ‘I’ll raise a religious and vindictive generation.’ I have an objection to this. I have no objection to religious upbringing, but that is the job of the family,” he added.

If he is elected president in the upcoming June 24 elections, İnce said he will make religious courses, which are currently compulsory except for religious minorities in the country, elective.

“For example, if a conservative family says ‘two hours of religious courses are not enough for my child, I want them to attend more classes on Islamic law,’ then we’ll offer them an elective course in which they can study even more. But if another says ‘I don’t want religious classes,’ then we won’t force them to take them. We’ll teach all children foreign languages and mathematics. We’ll accomplish this together,” he added.

İnce also vowed to “take off his CHP badge” as president and embrace everyone from every part of society, adding that people from every part of society will be represented in the cabinet, which will accomplish “peace and reconciliation” in the country.