CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu: Supreme Election Council Staged a Coup Against Nation’s Will

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu spoke to İsmail Küçükkaya from Fox TV this morning (May 16).

Regarding the annulment of Metropolitan Mayoral elections in İstanbul by the Supreme Election Council (YSK), Kılıçdaroğlu said:

"You are given four voting papers. You seal the papers and put them in the same envelope. The voters are the same, the ballot boxes are the same...

"But, then, you say that 'there are no problems with three papers, but I annul the Metropolitan Mayoral elections.' A person with faith, a person with reason cannot say something like that."

Continuing his remarks, he criticized the YSK as follows:

'Seven people cannot write a justified ruling'

"There are no legal justifications, they cannot write any. Seven people cannot write a justified ruling. Who knows who gave them instructions... Will they announce it? Saying we annulled elections on such and such grounds...

"It is something against reason, it is something against the law and conscience. If you say that we made a mistake, they you should also say 'I annul the whole election in 39 districts.' The thing that the whole world wonders: On what grounds did they annul the elections?'

"Maybe, it is troubling their conscience... Their conscience must have said 'No way' and rejected it. I cannot trust the YSK. Our rival in İstanbul elections is now the YSK. The YSK has staged a coup against the nation's will."

'Attackers wouldn't be released without instruction'

Speaking about the attack launched against him at the funeral of a soldier in Çubuk, Ankara on April 21, Kılıçdaroğlu said the following:

"A pre-planned attack was carried out against me. I have never blamed my citizens in Akkuzulu.

"Very interesting images will come out in the next days.

"The attackers would not have been released without a political instruction.

"I was not afraid. Am I going to fear a couple of freebooters? There is no fluster or something of that sort... I am a believer, I have one life, so what...

Concluding his remarks, Kılıçdaroğlu also referred to the attack against daily Yeniçağ columnist Yavuz Selim Demirağ. Kılıçdaroğlu said, "They might even give an award to those six people who attacked Demirağ..." (PT/SD)