CHP leader demands renewal of local polls in Aydın
AYDIN
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has demanded fresh local elections in the Aegean province of Aydın following the mayor’s resignation from the CHP and subsequent move to the ruling party.
The CHP organized a massive rally on late Aug. 18 in Aydın to protest Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu’s decision to leave the CHP and join the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
“Let’s repeat the elections in Aydın, if you are brave enough,” Özel called on President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his address to the crowds.
CHP leader accused Erdoğan of trying to steal mayors from the cities his party failed to win in the latest local polls in March 2024.
The majority at the municipal assembly belongs to the CHP, and electors in the city denounce the transfer of Çerçioğlu to the ruling party, Özel said, stressing that the mayor has lost her legitimacy to run the province.
“The results of the latest elections are clear. The power in Aydın belongs to the CHP,” he stated.
Çerçioğlu had to resign from the CHP and join the AKP because of threats imposed on her from the ruling party, Özel claimed, blaming the mayor for running away from a potential prosecution over alleged corruption claims.
“You escaped because of your fears, but from now on, you will live in fear for having fled. We will be after you,” Özel declared.
In the meantime, Çerçioğlu filed a lawsuit against her former leader for insulting her. She joined the AKP on Aug. 14 along with some other district mayors from the same province.
