Main opposition leader criticizes jurisdiction-execution crisis

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (R) shakes hands with the party’s Istanbul candidate Mustafa Sarıgül. CHP executives sound confident on the party’s chances of taking over the Istanbul mayoral seat in the upcoming local elections on March 30, 2014. DAILY NEWS photo

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu criticized the crisis between the jurisdiction and execution that emerged during the ongoing corruption operation in Turkey. 

“The Council of State should act immediately. Either we will give up on the separation of powers, which is the de facto situation right now, or a decision should strengthen the hands of prosecutors and the crisis is solved,” Kılıçdaroğlu said during an interview on CNNTürk on the night of Dec. 25. 

The statement came amid reports that a conflict between the jurisdiction and the police, which have seen a major reshuffle of hundreds of chiefs and officers being replaced after a corruption investigation, including two ministers’ sons and a state-owned bank manager. 

Meanwhile, CHP executives sounded confident of their mayoral candidate’s victory for Istanbul in the March 2014 local elections.

The current Şişli Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül’s candidacy for Istanbul and nationalist figure Mansur Yavaş’s candidacy for Ankara were approved by the Party Assembly (PM) on Dec. 22. 

Sarıgül, along with the CHP’s provincial chair in Istanbul Oğuz Kaan Salıcı, visited the CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on Dec. 26. 

They visited Kılıçdaroğlu in order to invite him to the opening of the “Center of Preparation for Coming to Power,” and the provincial center in Istanbul on Dec. 29, Salıcı told reporters following their meeting.

“All of Turkey will see on Sunday that the CHP won the election,” Salıcı said, while noting they would greet Kılıçdaroğlu upon his arrival with a huge convoy waiting for him there in order to escort him to the city center.

When Sarıgül’s turn came, he invited all residents of Istanbul, no matter which party they support, to the opening ceremony and added, “Because in Istanbul, we will have no ‘other.’ We will end the era of grudge, hatred and lovelessness.”

Sarıgül vowed to govern and give service to the city without making any categorizations based on religion, language, race, culture and sect. 

“In Istanbul, Mustafa Sarıgül will not win; in Istanbul, love will win, peace will win and the CHP will win.”