CHP Spokesperson Yücel: “Lütfü Savaş, who has served as the Mayor of Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, has been referred to the disciplinary committee with an expulsion request.”

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Spokesperson Deniz Yücel stated, “Lütfü Savaş, who previously served as the Mayor of Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, has been unanimously referred to the disciplinary committee with a request for expulsion during our central executive board meeting today. No decision has been made on other matters.” Yücel made a statement following the Central Executive Committee (MYK) meeting held in Istanbul. Yücel said, “We held our central executive board meeting and we share the notification we created as a result of the decisions taken in these meetings with the public. Our party became the first party with the public’s favor in the March 31 local elections. We firmly believe that the Kurdish issue can be resolved transparently and without prejudice around a table to be established under the roof of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey through social consensus. A plot has been put into action to carry out a character assassination against Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, who obtained a clean record six months ago, whose criminal record was not found to be an obstacle to candidacy, and who was nominated with the state’s assurance. Although there is no suspicion of flight, and he could be called for a statement, he was detained at home in a dawn operation. There is no respect for the family in these operations. While there is no investigation or legal action against 45 council members elected from different parties with the will of the people under the pretext of a regulation made during the state of emergency, instead of electing a deputy chairman from among them, they appointed the district governor, who they made a deputy governor overnight, as a trustee,” he expressed. Yücel stated that an urgent action plan has been created for Esenyurt, saying, “Starting from Monday morning, a delegation of at least 15 members consisting of one party deputy chairman or group vice president, two party council members, three MPs, one high disciplinary board member, two district chairmen, two mayors, two Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality managers, one provincial manager, and one district manager will be assigned to the Esenyurt district for two weeks. This assigned delegation will implement an urgent action plan to explain the unlawful process experienced, to follow up on the unlawful trustee, and to expose the illegitimacy of every decision and every implementation of the trustee, demonstrating solidarity with services and the public. A crisis desk will be established, and necessary steps will be taken.” Yücel responded to a question from a press member regarding the statements of CHP Party Council Member Haydar Fırat, who said, “I will argue that the memberships of the two mayors should be suspended in the Party Council meeting for Tanju Özcan and Burcu Köksal,” saying, “It is unacceptable for any Republican People’s Party member to view and interpret this process outside of the decisions our party has made while an operation is being carried out against one of our mayors, regardless of whether they have a duty in our party or not. Today, no decision was made on this matter during our MYK meeting and Party Council meeting. However, I can state this; Lütfü Savaş, who previously served as Mayor of Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, has been unanimously referred to the disciplinary committee with a request for expulsion during our Central Executive Committee meeting today. No decision has been made on other matters.” CHP had organized a protest rally in front of Esenyurt Municipality following the arrest of Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer on the charge of being a member of the PKK/KCK armed terrorist organization. Lütfü Savaş, the former Mayor of Hatay from the CHP, stated in a social media post, “Today’s CHP is busy being DEM’lened. As a party, we cannot defend anyone or any formation that establishes ties with terrorism and profits politically from terrorism.”