Vision, determination must-haves for leading state, Erdoğan says

Governing a state necessitates foresight, discernment, patience and determination, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday, indicating that candidates without these qualities should not be elected.

Speaking in the southeastern province of Kahramanmaraş during his rally, the president said that to govern a state, one needs the ability to not disappoint the public and betray its trust.

"Governing a state necessitates the courage to wear your burial cloth in front of your public if it's needed," the president said.

Expressing the importance of voting on June 24 in the presidential and parliamentary elections, Erdoğan also urged people to do their citizenship duty while reminding that citizens living abroad completed their duty with record participation.

"In the next five years, you will see an Erdoğan who is trying even harder to serve his country and people. You will see an Erdoğan who struggles more for brotherhood, unity and togetherness," he said, underlining that he is here to be a slave of the people, not to a master.

Erdoğan also criticized the opposition for their attitudes during the election process, calling the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) candidate Muharrem İnce to quit politics if he loses the election.

"Don't you still understand that Mr. Kemal [CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu] made you the candidate of the party just to get rid of you?" the president asked, referring to the inner party conflict that positions İnce as a possible strong rival of Kılıçdaroğlu.

The president also reminded that in the last 16 years, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has invested TL 29 billion ($6.12 billion) in Kahramanmaraş, while ensuring that if he is elected, they will invest even more.