CHP Chair Says 'Nation's Will Dealt a Blow' with Mayor Dismissals

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Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the chair of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has commented on the dismissal of the mayors of the mostly Kurdish-populated Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van provinces.

Speaking to Deniz Zeyrek, a columnist for the daily Sözcü, Kılıçdaroğlu made the following remarks:

"This is incompatible with democracy. This is a step taken with the spirit of a coup. The will of the nation was dealt a blow. All three mayors received good-standing papers from the prosecutor before they became a candidate. This went to the YSK [Supreme Election Council], there are seven high judges there, and they saw no harm. I looked at their newspapers today; they declared them guilty.

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"Since when those outside the court have been deciding a person is a criminal? Judiciary makes decisions all around the world. You don't even wait for the court's decision even though you have all the courts in your hands, you quickly decide and step in.

"This issue is not about the HDP [Peoples' Democratic Party] or any other party. We reacted the same way when they made Davutoğlu quit the Premiership. And when the AKP ministers were forced to resign... This is disrespectful to the will of the nation.

"If that's what you were going to do, why did you put the ballot box? If you put the ballot box, why don't you do what needs to be done and respect the will of the citizens? These things are unreasonable. With these actions, we can't say anywhere in the world, 'There is democracy in Turkey'.

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"The state of emergency announced on July 20, is officially over but is practically underway. Erdogan had already declared. He said, 'If they are elected, we will dismiss them.' It's all between one person's lips. Things like that didn't happen in the Kenan Evren era or periods of a coup.

"We don't think it is right to take to the streets and protest when this kind of things happen. We rely on the nation's foresight. (AÖ/VK)