Gökhan Altıner writes..."Erdoğan Wants Üstel..."

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey is scheduled to arrive in our country on July 19th. Although we do not know how many days he will stay here, the balances and candidacies related to the UBP congress will be shaped after Tayyip Bey arrives.

As previously reported, President Erdoğan is a strong supporter of Prime Minister Ünal Üstel. There is a serious friendship between Tayyip Bey and Ünal Bey, and as we learned, Tayyip Bey wants Üstel to remain as Prime Minister and Party Leader until 2027. For this reason, he gave instructions to his aides weeks ago to work in favor of Üstel. In fact, according to the claim, a very important deputy president of a major institution from Ankara came to the island and asked Olgun Amcaoğlu not to announce his candidacy. I don't have a chance to confirm this information from Olgun Amcaoğlu, as I wouldn't expect him to make a statement to a journalist on these matters, even though I have a good friendship with Olgun. But this was said.

As you can understand, July 20th is 'pregnant' with many things. Another piece of information, which is confirmed, is that a UBP MP who has the possibility of candidacy said, "We have decided not to speak until July 20th." I know this firsthand from the deputy. This deputy is a close friend of mine, but I won't name him. Because he makes statements based on the information given to him rather than reading my articles with bad intentions. He is our beloved and respected elder brother; I take care not to upset him.

In conclusion, Tayyip Bey will come and make serious adjustments regarding the congress. Although it may be said that the congress will be single-candidate, it is inevitable for Prime Minister Üstel to face this election competing with another candidate. Otherwise, he will not be able to get rid of the appointed jacket he wears.

On the other hand, Ünal Bey has accelerated his congress preparations. He is visiting regions one by one and embracing the grassroots. The Prime Minister has significant support from the grassroots in the UBP. If there is not a crowded competition in the UBP, the Prime Minister will easily win this competition. If there is a crowded competition, it will be a challenging race, but I still think Ünal Üstel will win this race.

Prime Minister Üstel has done very serious work in the past two years, which is seen and known by the grassroots. On the other hand, due to good relations with the Ankara Government, investments from Ankara to here continue without interruption. Just last month, a protocol worth 15 billion was signed. These are the results of the close relations between Prime Minister Üstel and President Erdoğan.

Remember, just a few weeks ago, Vice President of Turkey Cevdet Yılmaz stated that there is stability in the TRNC and it should continue, and economic stability will come after political stability. Ankara clearly emphasizes the stability of Prime Minister Üstel and expresses support for him.

Returning to the congress, the plan made for Hüseyin Özgürgün is planned for Ünal Üstel among his rivals. Many candidates will emerge, and they will unite against the Prime Minister in the second round and ensure he loses. That's the plan. Of course, the person not included in anyone's plan is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The signal coming from Tayyip Bey is extremely important.

Honestly, I think the congress will be shaped by the signal coming from Tayyip Bey. We will wait and see; there is not much time left.