Seven jailed mayors join YENİ Parti
Seven jailed mayors announced at YENİ Parti's founding congress that they are joining the party.
RastinewsAt YENİ Parti's 1st Ordinary Congress, a joint message from seven jailed mayors was read aloud. The mayors said they had decided to continue their political struggle within YENİ Parti, under the leadership of Özgür Özel. The jailed mayors who decided to join YENİ Parti are Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün, Bayrampaşa Mayor Hasan Mutlu, Ataşehir Mayor Onursal Adıgüzel and Adalar Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat.
The jailed mayors of Beşiktaş, Beykoz, Şişli, Büyükçekmece, Bayrampaşa, Ataşehir and Adalar announced in a joint message sent to YENİ Parti's 1st Ordinary Congress that they had decided to join the party under Özgür Özel's leadership.
YENİ Parti Deputy Chairman Yaşar Tüzün read out the jailed mayors' message of support at the party's 1st Ordinary Congress.
"OUR RESPONSIBILITY DOESN'T CHANGE JUST BECAUSE DARKNESS HAS FALLEN"
According to the message, Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün, Bayrampaşa Mayor Hasan Mutlu, Ataşehir Mayor Onursal Adıgüzel and Adalar Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat decided to join YENİ Parti.
The jailed mayors' message to the congress read as follows:
"March 31, 2024, was a day that will go down in Turkey's democratic history as a celebration. Citizens called for change. They gave us a mandate, gave us responsibility. The ballot box produced a popular will for a fairer city, a more democratic country, a Turkey governed by those the people elect. The government did not treat this powerful mandate for change as the natural outcome of democratic politics. A heavy darkness has fallen over the country. We are held in Silivri today because we refused to hand over the mandate the nation gave us at the ballot box to political guardianship. What we defend, what we have fought for, is national sovereignty, the foundation of the Republic. Since that day, a mindset that says 'You don't exist. Your vote doesn't matter' has tried to strip our citizens of their basic rights, their voice and a secure future. But the country's real problems aren't waiting. Our children's safety, preparing Istanbul for an earthquake, the right to housing, the fight against poverty, making our cities safe and livable — these stand before us today as a greater public responsibility than ever.
"THE PEOPLE'S WILL CANNOT BE TORN OUT FROM WITHIN"
When we were elected, we pledged to serve with that same understanding. In a very short time we left behind lasting achievements. We built institutions. We launched services. We entrusted all of it to our people. Those achievements still stand today. Our nurseries' doors are open, our public canteens are serving meals, social assistance is reaching citizens. While the municipalities' nameplates remain in place, the people's will behind them cannot be torn out. While the services we provided are embraced, the democratic will that made them possible cannot be denied. Moreover, our responsibility today extends beyond our municipalities' borders. We do not see the votes we received on March 31 as a trust to merely be preserved. Every vote given to us is the ore of our determination to fight for the nation. Honoring that vote means governing our municipalities well, defending the people's right to vote, the elected's right to govern, and Turkey's democratic future.
"THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE IS OUR DIRECTION"
Today, as the elected district mayors of Istanbul, we are shouldering this responsibility together. What is happening in our country today is not some erosion of democracy with no author. It is the result of a government policy that has pushed political competition outside the ballot box and turned judicial processes into a tool for removing elected officials. Whatever principle we defend the voters' will on in local government, we stand in that same place when it comes to political parties' own democratic will.
The people's choice is our direction. We regard any interference with the administration the people elected in a municipality, and with the will expressed by members and delegates within a political party, as part of the same fundamental violation of democracy. This is precisely the point where a much bigger issue than any single party lies before us: the people's right to choose their own future. For this reason, we have decided to continue our political struggle in the direction our nation has pointed us — within YENİ Parti, under the leadership of our chairman, Özgür Özel.
Everyone in Turkish politics is making a choice today. Some chose to protect their office and served that. We chose to protect our voters' will, and we are paying for it with our freedom. This country's people will decide who was right. Our certificates of election are our responsibility, and that does not change just because darkness has fallen. Our doors are locked, but the road ahead of this country is open. Today we are taking a step on that road: we are coming together in YENİ Parti, the party the people built."