Local party branch left fuming at attitude

AKP’s Muğla deputy, Yüksel Özden, spoke with Mustafa Yalçın, the party candidate for Milas mayor, at a press conference in the Milas AKP branch office. Özden said Milas was too important for the decision to be left solely with Milas residents, asking local party members to respect Ankara’s decision.

"For example, the AKP’s other Muğla deputy and I supported one candidate for Muğla mayor. But our prime minister decided former deputy Seyfi Terzibaşıoğlu would run. I can give you more examples. There are certain criteria that need to be abided by and that is what happened in Milas," he said. He said it was time to forget what had happened and focus on the election campaign. "I do not have the time or the energy to look back," he said.

Harsh local reaction
The reaction from locals was harsh, with one party member shouting: "Thank you Mr. Deputy. You did wonderfully. You just showed how to lose an election where we were seen as the definite winner." Yalçın was silent throughout the announcement and Özden left the town soon afterward for a meeting in Muğla. The candidate locals support, Rüştü Yiğitkaya, later met with some local party members and decided he would announce his intention to run as an independent candidate tomorrow to the applause of Milas AKP supporters.