CHP leader Özgür Özel says party will become next government in Kastamonu

CHP chairman Özgür Özel toured the Kastamonu region, meeting forest‑village residents at the Çatören Forest Depot. He warned that the community’s average age has risen to 58 and that many villagers are forced into debt, stating “the forest villager is covering debt with debt.” Özel criticised the ruling AK Party, accusing it of “black‑handed actions” that target the CHP, including jailing the party’s presidential candidate, seizing its headquarters and reverting its leadership to a past election. He declared, “CHP will be the ruling party in the upcoming period,” and promised to open a new path if the current government tries to block the party’s ascent. The remarks tied local economic hardships to a broader political struggle ahead of the next election cycle.