Erdoğan on İstanbul Election Rerun: We Can't Let 'Wild Minority' Disrupt Character of City

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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made a speech on the June 23 İstanbul repeat election at the Haliç Congress Center.

Beginning his words, Erdoğan offered condolences for former ousted president of Egypt, Mohamed Morsi, who died yesterday (June 17) after a court appearance.

"I wish brother Morsi, our martyr, the grace of Allah. Our prayers are with him," he said.

The '1994 spirit'

Erdoğan called the event "the great gathering with the spirit of 1994," referring to his narrow win in that year's local elections which marked the beginning of the Prosperity Party (RP) and its predecessors' 25-year control of İstanbul.

"The year 1994 is one of the most important milestones of our political history. The year 1994, not only for our movement but also for Turkish political life, is a breaking point, a milestone.

"With regards to the struggle for law, justice, freedom and democracy, the success in the 1994 elections is as important as the 1950 elections."

In 1950, the Democratic Party (DP) won the first democratic elections of the country and ended the 27-year rule of the Republican People's Party (CHP).

Erdoğan said they were subjected to threats by the media, the business world, "powers of tutelage" within the state and "mafia structures" during the election period but kept their fate.

In addition to İstanbul and the capital Ankara, the RP won the municipalities of 28 cities in the 1994 local elections.

The 'fascist CHP'

The President said that İstanbul was "freed of the fascist CHP mentality," what he accused of "despising the nation."

Erdoğan also commented on the claims that the CHP's İstanbul candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu called the Governor of Ordu a "dog."

"This person, as long as he doesn't apologize my nation, particularly the Governor of Ordu, can't assume office, let alone being worthy of that.

"We can't let this wild minority, who are at odds with the religion of people disrupt the tissue, the ancient character of this city.

"We can't let İstanbul back to its dark days before 1994. I believe none of my brothers here would commit such a sin." (AS/VK)