Akşener slams AKP-HDP meet for charter changes

ANKARA

Good (İYİ) Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener has strongly slammed a meeting between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) over constitutional changes on headscarf and protection of family.

“The AK Party people have long been accusing us of secretly allying with the HDP. Now, those who have been trying to isolate the Good Party and those who have been trying to label the Good Party have now been exposed in the same picture,” Akşener said in her weekly address to her parliamentary group on Nov. 9.

She referred to a visit last week by a senior AKP delegation to the HDP at the Parliament in order to seek the latter’s support for amending two articles of the constitution, one on the use of headscarf in the private and public sphere and the other on the protection of the family.

The AKP-led government alliance that includes the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has long been accusing the six-party oppositional alliance of establishing a secret alliance with the HDP which they see as the political wing of the PKK terror organization.

“Have a look at the destiny. Who is meeting whom?” Akşener said, accusing the AKP of launching a new opening towards the HDP before next year’s elections.

She also criticized the HDP to accept meeting with the AKP delegation, “They did not feel the shame of meeting with those who have jailed their leader and replaced their mayors with government-appointed trustees.”