The people are determined to fight

What happened behind the scenes of the operations targeting the CHP Manavgat Municipality brought to mind the criticism that "they want to collapse the municipality."

When the CHP council members who were targeted with the statements of Manavgat Deputy Mayor Mehmet Tüter resigned, the majority in the Manavgat Municipal Council did not pass to the AKP.

It was reported that the total number of members of the Manavgat Municipal Council is 37. Of these 37 members, 21 are CHP members.

A STRANGE OPERATION

Mehmet Tüter, who was arrested as part of an operation against the CHP-run Manavgat Municipality, made statements that the opposition deemed "slanderous" and targeted CHP council members. Initially, four CHP council members were arrested. The arrested individuals were released on probation but later re-arrested, claiming it was a mistake.

TACTICAL MOVE

The CHP administration, due to inconsistencies in implementation, interpreted the situation as a "plan to collapse the municipality" and launched a critical move. In this context, CHP municipal council members were called to resign. The CHP, noting that attempts were being made to reduce the number of CHP council members in the municipality to 14 through legal means, prevented the resignations from shifting the parliamentary balance in favor of the AKP.

CHP Antalya Provincial Chair Nail Kamacı spoke to BirGün about the events and the CHP's ongoing struggle. Kamacı noted that the investigations in the district by a committee appointed by CHP leader Özgür Özel are ongoing, that numerous people have been interviewed, and that a report on the alleged irregularities is nearing completion.

CITIZENS ARE NOT CONVINCED

Kamacı, stating that the operations against council members were a "plan to take over Manavgat," said, "We will continue to fight . We will protect every vote cast for us on March 31, 2024, and we will continue to serve the people with the same determination."

Kamacı stated that the 61% of the nationwide consensus that the operations are political is even higher in Antalya. He stated, "They haven't been able to convince society that the operations are legal. They're taking on those they see as obstacles." Kamacı emphasized that CHP members in Antalya and voters who consider the operations unlawful are "more active than they've ever been during an election period," commenting, "The operations cannot succeed against this will. The government needs to see the tens of thousands of people filling the square in Antalya's stifling heat and reflect."

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FROM A BAKLAVA MAKER TO A CONFESSOR

CHP leader Özgür Özel, who launched an internal party investigation into the images alleging bribery in a baklava box, said the following at the Antalya rally in the investigation launched against the Manavgat Municipality: “The police come, say ‘Open the box,’ and he opens it, and his hands don’t shake. That baklava seller, the police picked him up a month ago, caught him with bootleg liquor and a suspicious package, 99% drugs. They trained that baklava seller for a month and sent him there. They planned the baklava box for a month. They made the baklava seller an informant in their own way.”