‘Administrative Procedures Shouldn’t Undermine People’s Trust in the Law’

Click to read the article in Turkish

After the Executive Board of the İYİ Party convened to discuss the appointment of trustees to the Metropolitan Municipalities of Diyarbakır, Van and Mardin yesterday (August 20), İYİ Party Spokesperson Yavuz Ağıralioğlu held a statement for the press today.

Speaking at the İYİ Party Central Office in Ankara, Ağıralioğlu underlined that the mayors in question were granted certificates of good conduct before the local elections, their names were announced on voter lists and they were given the opportunity to propagandize.

Reminding that the mayor-elects were also granted certificates of election, he has emphasized, "The responsibility of explaining to the nation why they are dismissed four months later falls on the government itself."

CLICK - Mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van Removed from Office

'It needs to be explained with concrete, legal evidence'

Some highlights from Ağıralioğlu's speech are as follows:

"Democracy and law are the most important means and guarantees that manifest the nation's will. Having said that, being elected does not invest the elected with the privilege to commit crimes or violating the law.

"Terror and the ones who support terror should be given the necessary punishments; however, the administrative decisions taken and administrative procedures followed in this process should not undermine the presumption of accuracy and people's trust in the state and the law.

"If the incidents cited as the reason for the removal of some mayors from office took place in the last five months, then it is a duty of the government to explain it to the people with concrete and legal evidence.

"The responsibility of explaining to the nation why the mayors, whom you gave certificates of good conduct, whose names were announced on voter lists, whom you granted the opportunity to propagandize in the elections and whom you gave certificates of election, have been removed from office four months later falls on the government itself.

"The attempt of the People's Alliance to use [Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah] Öcalan and his brother in June 23 elections makes what you are doing today meaningless." (AS/SD)