Erdoğan, Bahçeli hold joint rally in Ankara

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has continued slamming main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Ankara mayoral candidate Mansur Yavaş, who he accuses of having committed forgery in the past on March 23.

“You know the one with the surname Yavaş… The one who committed check fraud, just think about it, CHP makes him the candidate for Ankara. Remember what kind of forged documents he would issue if he rules Ankara,” he said at a joint election rally with Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli in the capital Ankara ahead of the March 31 local elections, now just over a week away.

“That’s why we need to teach a big lesson to those,” he added.       

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) held their first joint rally on March 17 as part of their “People’s Alliance” in the Aegean province of İzmir.

MHP leader Bahçeli also targeted Yavaş, “they say he is an ex-nationalist, an ex-MHP member. These are all lies, stories. Either you are a nationalist or you are not. There is no way in the middle,” he said.

President Erdoğan also said that Turkey is set to become a global player in the defense industry “with its unique designs and advanced technology.”

According to the official data, 450,000 people attended the rally in Ankara.

With the clock ticking down to local elections set for March 31, Turkey is seeing daily campaign rallies and speeches by candidates and political leaders.       

A total of 12 political parties will compete in the local elections.