İYİ Party elects Müsavat Dervişoğlu as new chairman

ANKARA

The İYİ (Good) Party has elected Müsavat Dervişoğlu as its new chairman during a party congress held in the wake of recent electoral setback.

Dervişoğlu, who serves as the party's deputy parliamentary leader and represents İzmir in the parliament, emerged victorious in the leadership election with 611 votes.

The election on April 27 concluded after three rounds, as no candidate secured an absolute majority in the initial two rounds. His competitor, Koray Aydın, the party's parliamentary head, garnered 548 votes.

Tolga Akalın, deputy leader in charge of immigration policies, initially contended in the leadership race but withdrew from the candidacy before the second round of voting.

"As of today, we will hug each other and heal our wounds," Dervişoğlu told party members after his election. "Everyone should be assured that nothing will ever be the same again."

He outlined his vision for the party, pledging that it would "occupy a central position in politics and embrace all segments of society" during his tenure.

Born in the capital Ankara in 1960, Dervişoğlu's political career includes involvement in various levels of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and its youth organizations. He previously served as the chairman of the MHP-affiliated ultra-nationalist group Gray Wolves.

Dervişoğlu parted ways with MHP in 2017 and played a role in the establishment of the İYİ Party alongside figures such as Meral Akşener, Koray Aydın and Ümit Özdağ, who were expelled from MHP.

The transition in leadership comes after Akşener's decision not to seek reelection and to convene an extraordinary congress following the İYİ Party's electoral setback in the local elections.

In her final address as party leader, Akşener expressed confidence in her leadership tenure. "Today is the day to hand over the trust," she said, urging party members to safeguard the party's integrity.

The İYİ Party's electoral strategy shifted after last year's presidential election defeat, opting out of an alliance with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in the March 31 elections, contrary to its stance in the 2019 polls.

The party's vote share plummeted from 7.3 percent to 3.77 percent, with its only success recorded in Nevşehir. The electoral setback triggered a wave of resignations within the party both before and after the polls.