YENİ Parti spokesperson Emre claims Yüceer may join AKP

Competing accounts over congress delegate status

According to the statement reported by BirGün, Emre described the explanation concerning congress delegate status as an “excuse” when answering a question about Yüceer’s resignation. Citing what the provincial party chair had told them, he maintained that Yüceer had specifically not wanted to be a congress delegate.

Emre also said that Yüceer had met with Ensar Aytekin, the deputy party chair responsible for party organisation, after the election. In his account of that meeting, he claimed that Yüceer had said she made that choice to make room for others in a place where 16 congress delegates were elected.

The party spokesperson also said that Yüceer had met with the party chair about a week before the congress delegate selection, offered suggestions about the congress and asked to chair its proceedings. Emre said the party chair had told her the request would be considered. Noting that Yüceer had served four terms as a member of parliament and had been nominated for metropolitan mayor, he rejected the view that she had been treated unfairly within the party.

Appointment application and allegations of judicial pressure

Emre claimed that Yüceer had not answered calls from party officials for five or six days. He presented this as one of the reasons for his assessment that preparations were being made for a possible change of party.

As another reason, he cited the application to appoint the acting secretary-general of Tekirdağ Metropolitan Municipality to the post on a permanent basis. According to Emre’s account, there was a document dated 3 November concerning the withdrawal of the application submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, and the withdrawal was carried out on 4 November. Emre said they had this document.

Emre also claimed that they had heard reports that Yüceer was concerned about judicial proceedings, case files and Court of Accounts investigations. He maintained that local government representatives were being forced to choose between switching parties and the threat of prison. These remarks were reported as Emre’s political assessment and allegation of pressure.

Emre said that the Mayor of Çerkezköy had previously sought the metropolitan mayor’s post and later joined AKP. He recounted that, in earlier conversations, Yüceer had expressed concern that she would be arrested and that this person would be elected by the municipal council to replace her. After recounting this, he voiced his prediction that Yüceer herself might now join AKP.