Özel in Yalova: Pensioners, Farmers Hit by Inflation

YENI Party leader Özgür Özel visited Yalova on September 19, starting in Altınova where he met kiwi producers who said farmgate prices of 40 lira per kilo reach consumers at 350 lira. Özel linked the gap to high inflation, currency pressure, and fuel costs that have risen 40-fold since the 100-lira note was introduced.

He then visited ornamental plant growers and attended a pensioner gathering that drew around 500 people, far more than the 50 initially expected. Özel said the lowest pension stands at 23,500 lira and the average at 27,000 lira, pledging to raise pensions first to the minimum wage and then to 1.5 times that level.

“This injustice is called the AKP's black order.”

In a speech on Gazipaşa Street, Özel compared President Erdoğan's 1974 starting salary of 9.5 quarter-gold coins to today's minimum wage worth 2.5 quarter-gold coins, calling the disparity "AKP's black order." He also vowed to guarantee farmers' livelihoods rather than bridge toll revenues.

During the kiwi farm visit, a producer corrected Özel after he blamed a former mayor named Özlem for a land rezoning decision; the mayor's name is Yasemin. Özel responded, "I think every defector is named Özlem." Yalova Mayor Mehmet Gürel and YENI Party provincial chair Erdem Doğancı accompanied Özel throughout the day.