In the renewed June 23 Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality elections, Felicity (Saadet) Party's mayoral candidate for Istanbul, Necdet Gökçınar, "On the way to the June 23 election, we saw how the society got tired of the polarizing rhetoric and hate speech created by the power. It was a quieter process for us. There was a reaction." he criticized.
Speaking to the Journalist Leyla Kılıç, Gökçınar said, "The language used by the government for opposition on March 31 was partially softened on June 23. How do you interpret this?" he replied as:
"There are two parts of this election. We have done fieldwork with all of our organization in this process. At that time, unfortunately, some parts of society in the repulsive statements sung by the Presidential floor, some things were unpleasant. After March 31, there was a great softening in the citizens. As a reason of this softening we use and reflect the unifying attitude we can show people. We have received feedback, such as terrorists. For 17 years, scenarios of violence have been created in people's minds. They have put the separation into the minds. They are waiting for citizens in regular sales queues, they think that if they say that the economy is bad, they will not see them. People were intimidated by votes. The survival problem suddenly disappeared. Because it was artificial. On the way to the June 23 election, we saw how tired society was of the polarizing rhetoric and hate language created by the government. It was a quieter process for us. There has been a big reaction to what has been going on for 17 years. Our belief is that we are going to a more hopeful future."
Gökçınar's answers to other questions are as follows:
You have stressed many times that it is not democratic to keep the two candidates in the forefront. What can you say about that?
"Our country is social as you said, you Although such a leave saying, it's political projection in you also get to such a dual system he forced officially. Not have to like about my opinion anyone. But he must be given to the views of each candidate. Democratic level in Turkey, we have to move somewhere "Today, Ekrem İmamoğlu won with democracy, and tomorrow I will win with democracy. Democracy must stand firm in these lands."
"I have a frustration for themselves frankly. When the rumors of live broadcast came out a message to them. From the beginning, this binary system imposed all together 'no' let's say. They did not. Until the last day of the election standing with the citizens' tax TRT, all the demands we made "Osman Ocalan, the brother of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, can go out and talk to the TRT, but we can't", he reacted.