In İstanbul's Beyoğlu district, unsigned leaflets were distributed urging Kurds not to vote for the Republican People's Party (CHP), targeting CHP Afyonkarahisar mayoral candidate Burcu Köksal for her discriminatory remarks against the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
"No honorable Kurd will vote for this fascist imposition of the CHP because of Burcu Köksal, who closes the doors of the municipality to Kurds!" reads the leaflets with poor Turkish under Burcu Köksal's photo. Ahmet Saymadi, a member of the DEM Party Assembly reacted to the leaflets from his X account.
"It is not up to you to protect our honor!"
In Saymadi X's post, it was stated, "DEM Party did not nominate candidates in 22 districts in İstanbul; they are supporting CHP candidates. AKP supporters have printed brochures urging not to vote for the CHP and are distributing them street by street. It's not up to you to protect our honor!"
Dem Parti İstanbul’da 22 ilçede aday çıkarmadı, CHP adaylarını destekliyor. AKP’liler CHP’ye oy verilmesin diye broşür basmışlar, sokak sokak dağıtıyorlar. Şerefimizi korumak size kalmadı! pic.twitter.com/rEeSe8gcHO
— Ahmet Saymadi (@ahmetsaymadi) March 12, 2024
CHP and İmamoğlu had reacted to Köksal
The CHP Headquarters had expressed in a written statement that they did not endorse Burcu Köksal's statement during the rally in Afyonkarahisar regarding the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which said, "When I am elected, the doors of the municipality will be open to every party except the HDP."
In the statement posted on CHP's social media account, it was stated, "The doors of our municipalities will remain open to everyone as they were yesterday, and no citizen will be deprived of their rights and public services due to their identities."
The CHP İstanbul candidate, current İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, criticized Burcu Köksal more harshly, stating, "She will either find another job or another party." (AEK/PE)
