Özgür Özel from Adana: 'We Will Find a Way to Take Our Party Back or Open a New Path'

Speaking to supporters in Adana, the newly elected CHP leader Özgür Özel declared his intention to either reclaim the party's rightful path or forge a new one. "Don't be afraid," he urged the crowd, promising swift action without haste or delay. "Very soon, we will either find a way to take our party back or open a new path."

Özel directed sharp criticism at those he accused of imprisoning the party's presidential candidate and detaining elected officials, including the Metropolitan Mayor of Adana, Zeydan Karalar, and Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin. He contrasted the government's reliance on "your courts, your judges, your prosecutors" with the "will of Adana" and the "unstoppable flood of the people."

He acknowledged the anger felt by Adana's residents and across Turkey but urged its transformation from "bad words" into "energy" and a "march to power." Özel detailed economic grievances, citing low prices for cotton and wheat, a decline in the value of agricultural produce relative to diesel fuel, and pensions below the poverty line. He argued that these issues, along with widespread poverty and hunger, can only be overcome through a social democratic vision that embraces all segments of society.

Özel asserted that the government's actions stem from fear of the "Adana Alliance" formed on March 31, which unites democrats from across the political spectrum. He characterized the current operations not as attacks on the CHP or its leadership, but as an assault on "the people's march to power." He concluded by defiantly asking if they would abandon this pursuit, answering with an oath, "Ant olsun" (I swear).