Candidate Forced to Resign After Controversial Dance Performance
22-Year-Old Political Candidate Claims He Was Forced to Resign Due to Threats
Cem Saygı, a 22-year-old candidate for the Zonguldak 5th place of the Homeland Party in Turkey, has come forward to claim that he was forced to withdraw from the candidacy due to threats. Saygı alleges that he was offered money before being threatened in order to withdraw from the candidacy. In a speech, Saygı revealed that members of the party came to his house to offer him money in exchange for his resignation. Additionally, audio recordings exist of a council member named Uğur Akyıldız allegedly threatening Saygı.
Saygı explains that his situation escalated when his dance, which had become popular on social media, made him a target. The situation came to a head when he received a phone call in which Muharrem İnce, the chairman of the party, allegedly told him to resign. Saygı expressed disappointment in İnce’s actions and added, «The man who calls me and says ‘resign’ cannot rule this country. If the tweet, which was sent from Muharrem İnce’s social media, was sincere, our Chairman would say, ‘We are behind you, keep going’. If he said resign, it doesn’t mean anything. So it is not behind the young people.»
With this development, there are concerns of political interference and intimidation. Saygı’s case highlights the need for a transparent and fair political system in which young people can participate without fear of threats or intimidation.
