Soylu steps in with “files” to pressurise AKP mayors

Emine Kaplan
 
It has been learnt that President Erdoğan, who has said “whatever is needed will be done” regarding the Ankara, Balıkesir and Bursa mayors who have not resigned, asked Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, “Are the files ready?” and Soylu said, “They are most certainly ready and if you give the instruction we will sort them out in two days.” The resignation crisis over the Ankara, Bursa and Balıkesir metropolitan mayors continues. President Erdoğan, saying on his return from Poland in response to journalists’ question, “What will happen if the mayors persist in not resigning?” “I cannot imagine and do not wish to imagine, either, that our colleagues will adopt such a course, because it will have severe consequences,” said at yesterday’s joint press conference with Nigerian President Muhammed Buhari, “As of now, three mayors (Istanbul, Düzce, Niğde) have tendered their resignations. We now have three more mayors. I believe that they will tender their resignations as soon as possible. Our colleagues involved have held their meetings and I currently imagine that they are getting ready to tender this resignation.” Erdoğan, who noted that otherwise “whatever is needed will be done,” commented, “Because our competent committees have passed a decision to this effect. The process we are undergoing just now is a decision process not to instigate a particular process of negativity with reference to our colleagues but, quite the reverse, one that that our organisation has reached on this point. We also assessed this decision process with reference to them and said that in line with this such a step must be taken here, too. For, we are not an ordinary party. This is not an ordinary movement, either. This is a cause. So, our colleagues who are part of this cause in fact know very well how this system works. Because they know this well, they do and must do what is necessary. We have notified them of this, in any case.”

Their files have been made ready

AKP management, courting various options in case the mayors do not resign, first considered the expulsion of the mayors from the party. But, concluding that their remaining in post as independent mayors if they were expelled from the party would not eliminate the difficulty, the formula subsequently adopted was that of their removal from their posts in a probe launched into them by the Interior Ministry. It has been learnt that on Erdoğan asking Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, “Are the files ready?” at the last Central Decision and Administrative Committee, Soylu said, “They are most certainly ready and if you give the instruction we will sort them out in two days.” Erdoğan had a nearly two-hour meeting with Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipal Mayor Ahmet Edip Uğur last Friday. Apparently, Uğur came together with Bursa Mayor Recep Altepe at the weekend following the provincial chairs’ meeting and assessed the situation. The word in AKP lobbies is that Melih Gökçek also participated at this meeting. There is curiosity over the manner in which the files will be processed into the three mayors if they do not resign.

Gökçek also came to the palace 

Ankara Metropolitan Municipal Mayor, Melih Gökçek, whose name Erdoğan has mentioned three times in the context of resignation, attended the lunch that Erdoğan gave in honour of the Nigerian President at the Presidential Palace. It has been leant that Gökçek was invited to the lunch as part of a protocol in which ministers were included. On the other hand, Erdoğan was asked at the press conference about his comment, “The price will be heavy” if the mayors did not resign. Erdoğan stated with reference to comments “It will have severe consequences” and “The price will be heavy” that found their way into many newspapers’ headlines following his interview held in the plane on the way back from Poland “You are asking very dangerous questions, you know. I did not say ‘The price will be heavy.’ I said, ‘Whatever is needed will be done’.”