Well-known journalist candidate for deputy: "After being elected, we will ask for freedom for all regions of the Turkic world"

Selcan Taşçı Hamşioğlu, a well-known columnist of the Yeni Çağ newspaper, who is on the first row in the list of candidates for deputy from the Tekirdağ region of the IYI Party’s list, answered the questions of Turan News Agency.

Turan: Did you put forward your candidacy yourself, or did you receive an offer from the IYI Party?

Taşçı Hamşioğlu: I wanted to be a candidate myself. After I applied, I did not have any request from the chairman of the party or its functionaries to confirm my candidacy. I would like to thank Mrs. Meral Akşener, the chairman of the party, for being on the first row of the IYI Party list in Tekirdağ province.

Turan: The fact that you were born and grew up in Tekirdağ province undoubtedly plays a role in your candidacy. To what extent will this factor help you during the election campaign?

Taşçı Hamşioğlu: The first 20 years of my life were spent in Tekirdağ. After finishing my higher education, I came to Istanbul and started working at Yeni Çağ newspaper. Since then, this has been my only place of work. I have my mother and siblings in Tekirdağ. I spend my holidays and vacations in Tekirdağ. I always feel like a person belonging to Tekirdağ. Of course, by saying these things, I am definitely not putting the voters under obligation. In the election race, I will appear in front of the citizens with the election declaration of the Nation Alliance, represented by our party, and concrete promises that I can fulfill. Since the Tekirdağ regional organization of our party welcomed my candidacy as a first-row candidate, I have no doubt that they will wholeheartedly support me.

Turan: Has the party's list of candidates for deputy created excitement in Turkey?

Taşçı Hamşioğlu: I can say about the list of our party that everyone was excited by a large number of female candidates. IYI Party has nominated women from the first row in 9 provinces. In the second row of the list of candidates from 10 provinces, again there are female candidates of the IYI Party. There is no such indicator in any of the other parties. This fact alone should be enough to cause excitement in Turkey. Because one of the most controversial problems in our country today is the violation of women's rights and the killing of innocent women, and the murderers often go unpunished. Therefore, I believe that women who are looking for their rights will vote for our candidates. The attitude of the parties to the problems faced by women is one of the main factors of polarization in our country. We will continue our fight to eliminate it. We have 6 candidates under the age of 30, which excites me.

Turan: You drew attention to the polarization in Turkey. Those who do this also limit freedoms. In what forms will you defend the rights of people who are gradually losing their freedom?

Taşçı Hamşioğlu: The slogan of one of the glorious pages of the struggle for freedom in our history is: " Down with tyranny, long live freedom." Unfortunately, at the stage our country has reached, we need this slogan very much. I think that our struggle in this field will also excite the Turkic world. Because I know that you are longing for freedom. We are a political organization that wants freedom in the whole Turkic world. The point where 20 years of one-party rule brought Turkey is the point of "Free prisoners". The political thought that is our rival values the 80-year republic as a "bracket" and is talking about closing that bracket. And we will not allow that bracket to be closed.

Turan: In other words, in the 100th year of the republic, you are and will be fighting to regain a lost republic. Didn't I get it wrong?

Taşçı Hamşioğlu: We are talking about a country that won its independence with the strength of its citizens and made revolutions. In 1950, when the Cold War had just begun, we are a nation that made a democratic revolution by switching to a multi-party system. Now they are trying to turn that state into a one-party state. We are fighting not to allow this and we will fight. The foundations of Turkish nationalism were laid by intellectuals from Azerbaijan, Kazan, and Crimea. Migrants from Rumeli nationalized this ideology. We must and will never allow this foundation to be shaken.

Turan: On what principles will you build your propaganda mechanism?

Taşçı Hamşioğlu: You know that the language and style of election propaganda should be different from the daily style. I am in favor of a direct dialogue with the voters and I will stick to this principle from the beginning to the end. Our promises with candidates from other parties may be similar but dialogue with people has a decisive role. In addition to being a child of the region, I believe that being recognized in Turkey as a journalist-writer will help me in the propaganda process. I am sure that I am the only female candidate to be elected deputy in Tekirdağ province.