Erdogan targets Demirtas and Kilicdaroglu in campaign meetings

Erdogan attended the Ministry of Defense’s Next-Generation “Storm” Howitzers Delivery Ceremony. Erdogan, who was greeted by Commander of the Turkish Armed Forces General Yasar Giler and Commander of the Turkish Land Forces General Musa Avsever, targeted Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu in his speech.

Alluding to Kilicdaroglu, Erdogan said, “Those who are hostile to capital by distorting the ordinary management-transfer process, those who go from America to England and then to Germany, going door to door at gas stations, or excuse me, restaurants, to get some food, are begging for help from foreign economists. We, on the other hand, are creating these giant works with our own engineers and workers, locally and nationally.

Erdogan’s remarks were applauded by generals of the Turkish Armed Forces.

President Erdogan, who is also the Chair of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), held a meeting in the Mugla province as part of the campaign process during which he again targeted Kilicdaroglu and Selahattin Demirtas, the former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair who has been imprisoned for over six years.

Erdogan, who noted that there is no unity of opinion at the Table of Six, which consists of opposition parties, said that the opposition has no patience for his administration’s successes.

Notable portions of his statements at the meeting are as follows:

“THEY COULDN’T BEAR THE HAPPINESS WE WERE EXPERIENCING WITH THE GENERALS”

“The scandals of those with a colonized mentality does not end. At the opening of our project, which will strengthen the strength of the Turkish Armed Forces, we saw that they had little patience for the joy we were experiencing with the generals of our army. He showed his true intentions when he targeted our heroic army and commanders. Can a person be a politician of this country if he reacts to the commanders of our army in this manner when he cannot show the same anger towards Greece which violates our borders each day, the PKK, FETO, and the enemies of the Turkish state? According to our constitution, this brother of yours is the commander-in-chief of this army. I'm not saying it, the Constitution is saying it. They are disturbed by the fact that the idle factory is the most important production center of the country's defense industry. They cannot tolerate the reality of Turkey, which can make its own production in every field of the defense industry. All their lives have passed with the period that FETOists and putschists presented to them on a golden platter.”

“THEY CAN'T GET OUT SO EASY FROM [PRISON]”

“Mr. Kemal, you’ve worked in close contacts with terrorists. Those terrorists can't get out of [prison] easily. Was it not Demirtas who caused the death of 51 of our citizens in Diyarbakir? Here he [Kilicdaroglu] comes, saying he’s going to let them out. These people will not open this door for you. This nation will not give way to bloodsuckers in this country. I trust my people.”

Responding to Erdogan's accusation with a post he shared on his social media account, Kilicdaroglu said:

"Erdogan, quit the baloney. You made the soldiers applaud your slanders about me. You are now of Kenan Evren's mind. We are libertarians, we are reformers. I call out to the commanders again; if you want politics, you cannot do it wearing that sacred uniform. I will not allow it. You are Turkey's soldiers!"