İYİ Party to convene congress following election setback

ANKARA

İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener has declared that the party will convene an extraordinary congress in the wake of disappointing results in the recent local elections.

The İYİ Party witnessed a sharp decline in support, plummeting from 7.3 percent of the votes in the 2019 local elections to 3.77 percent this year.

"With the elections we have left behind, we have seen once again how tired our nation is of being squeezed between two fists," Akşener said in a press briefing on April 1.

"Our nation showed in this election that it is not obliged to engage in artificial fights in the usual areas of polarization by not going to the polls."

Acknowledging the message conveyed by the electorate, Akşener emphasized the importance of political accountability.

"As İYİ Party, we will take our responsibility. We will do our accounting," she affirmed, announcing the party's decision to hold an extraordinary congress with elections.

Furthermore, Akşener attributed the notable gains of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) due to the economic challenges faced by citizens. She urged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), to draw lessons from the election results.

"I hope he now understands that he is the voice of our nation behind our calls. I hope he now sees that he should be the president of all of Türkiye," Akşener said.

The İYİ Party's strategy in the elections marked a departure from its previous alliances. Unlike in 2019, the party chose to field its own candidates nationwide, rather than supporting CHP candidates in key battlegrounds such as Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir.

The repercussions of İYİ Party's independent approach have been palpable, with a wave of resignations and dismissals among prosecutors and key party officials prior to the election setback.