İYİ Party to mobilize youth to vote in May 14 polls

ANKARA

The İYİ (Good) Party will launch a massive mobilization so that the youngsters can vote in May 14 polls, the party’s chairwoman Meral Akşener has said, criticizing the government for choosing this date to avoid mass participation of the youth in the elections.

“You know why Mr. [President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan has decided to go to early polls although he has kept saying that the elections will be held on time? Because they are afraid of the youth. They are afraid that the youth will cast their votes,” Akşener told her parliamentary group on Jan. 25.

The universities continue their education in May, and they hold most exams in the same period, Akşener recalled, suggesting that many students studying away from their hometowns will not be able to vote on May 14.

“Holding elections at a moment when the schools are open simply means ‘Don’t vote.’ That’s too simple,” she stressed. “Plus, many of our students do not have enough financial resources to go to vote and return to their universities.”

To avoid this and to let students vote in the polls, Akşener announced that her party is launching a massive mobilization.

“We will provide transportation free of charge for them to go to vote if they fail to change their address before the elections. Because many of our students still reside at their family address,” she said.

“Dear youth! Don’t worry! We are here to help. We will break this plot by the government,” she said. “That’s why we are launching this mobilization by the Good Party Youth Branch. We will take all the measures so that all the youngsters can go and vote.”