İYİ Party decides mayoral contenders in five more cities
ANKARA
The İYİ (Good) Party has chosen its mayoral candidates for five more cities in a move leading up to March 31's municipal elections, further solidifying its departure from a longstanding alliance with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
The daughter of Alparslan Türkeş, founder of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) from which the İYİ Party emerged, Ayyüce Türkeş, will be the party's candidate in southern Adana city, according to local media.
In neighboring Antalya, the former MHP lawmaker Nesrin Ünal will vie for the mayoral seat after an unsuccessful attempt in last year's parliamentary election, reports said. Other candidates include Kazım Yücel in Kayseri and İmren Nilay Tüfekçi in Samsun, with Gürhan Özcan, a doctor, running in Manisa, daily Milliyet wrote.
The announcements come in the wake of a controversial decision by the İYİ Party leadership to field candidates independently in all constituencies, breaking away from their alliance with the CHP. This move has triggered a series of resignations and dismissals among party members and key figures.
Meanwhile, İYİ Party spokesperson Kürşad Zorlu addressed the media after an executive meeting on Jan. 8, revealing that the party plans to unveil the mayoral candidates for Istanbul and the capital Ankara later this month.
Responding to questions from journalists, Zorlu confirmed that the party would support the CHP's call for an extraordinary parliamentary session which came after the Court of Appeals, for the second time, refused to comply with the Constitutional Court's decision to release jailed Workers' Party of Türkiye (TİP) MP Can Atalay.
The top court labeled the deputy's continued imprisonment despite his election as a lawmaker last May as a violation of his “right to be elected” and his “personal freedom and security.”
However, Zorlu clarified that the İYİ Party would not participate in the CHP's rally in Ankara on Jan. 14.
