Kilicdaroglu: Erdogan has 16 planes, we will sell 15 of them
Turkey's main opposition CHP (Republican People’s Party) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu visited John Hopkins University in Baltimore during his US visit and he met with students. Replying to a question asked by one of the students, Kilicdaroglu said: “We will fight against extravagance. For example, Erdogan has 16 planes; We will sell 15 of them and provide income for the Treasury."
Turkey’s vice president Fuat Oktay last year said that President Erdogan had eight planes.
Speaking on the jurisdiction in Turkey, Kilicdaroglu claimed that there is a “unity of powers” instead of a structure with a separation of powers. He said: “No one should be prosecuted or imprisoned for their thoughts. Not just journalists. Whoever it is.”
Government ignores ECHR
Kilicdaroglu said that the government does not implement the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), adding: “We face the reality of a country where the decisions of the judiciary are not implemented.”
Kilicdaroglu claimed that if the government was bothered by a judge who actually implements the law, he was sent somewhere else and to their place, a judge who would act according to the demands of the government was appointed.
“Do not think that we are in despair because of all these things I've told you,” Kilicdaroglu said, adding “Our goal in the upcoming elections is to crown the 100-year-old Republic with democracy in 2023.”
Lack of democracy in Turkey
Kilicdaroglu claimed that democracy in Turkey did not develop because of the frequent military coups that took place over the hundred years and also because the majority of the public in Turkey does not question where the taxpayer money is spent. “Unfortunately, democracy cannot develop in a country where tax evasion is perceived as a national sport,” he said.
Kilicdaroglu answered a question asked by a student as: “We will fight against extravagance. For example, Erdogan has 16 planes; We will sell 15 of them and provide income for the Treasury."
On refugees, Kilicdaroglu said: “We have to send the Syrians to their country by creating the conditions they desire, without being racist and without jeopardizing Turkey's dignity.”
EU membership is a common goal
In foreign policy, Kilicdaroglu stated that EU membership is the “common goal of leaders of the table of six,” he added that fighting with Russia “does not make sense” and that he thinks that Turkey should side with Ukraine.
“We want to be in harmony with all our neighbors, including Gulf countries, Syria, and Iran. We do not find it right to take sides in the internal affairs of the Arab world,” he said.
