AK Party Spokesperson: President Leading with Overwhelming Support
AK Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik has criticized the behavior of the opposition parties following the local elections in Turkey. He accused Istanbul’s newly-elected Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara’s newly-elected Mayor Mansur Yavaş, both members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), of claiming victory on behalf of CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu before all votes had been counted. Çelik argued that this was disrespectful to the democratic process and ignored the will of the people whose votes were yet to be tallied.
As vote counting continues, Çelik stressed the importance of respecting the authority of the institutions that oversee the election process and accepting the result. He criticized the CHP’s refusal to apologize for their premature victory claims and their apparent lack of respect for the ongoing vote counting.
Despite the AK Party and the People’s Alliance appearing to hold strong positions in parliament, Çelik emphasized that they would not make any final statements on the election result until all votes had been counted and the will of the people fully manifested. He urged all politicians to respect the will of citizens and the democratic process.
Çelik also accused the opposition parties of relying on surveys and their own data to declare victory rather than respecting the official election results. He insisted that the ballot box was the honor of politics and that all parties should work to prevent any attempts to ignore or undermine the democratic process.
Finally, Çelik emphasized the importance of citizens’ right to decide how the government will be formed and the responsibility of politicians to represent their demands. He pledged to respect the will of the people and to carry their decision on his head.
