CHP leader Özel visits İYİ leader Akşener for first time, offers 'collaboration' for local elections

Ceren Bayar / Gazete Duvar

Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) new leader Özgür Özel and İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener on Nov. 30 met at the latter party’s headquarters in the capital Ankara to discuss “collaboration” for the upcoming local elections.

CHP Secretary General Selin Sayek Böke, Deputy Chairs Gül Çiftçi and Gökhan Zeybek, and Group Deputy Chair Gökhan Günaydın; and İYİ Party Deputy Chairs Oktay Vural, Burak Akburak, Ayfer Yılmaz and Group Chair Koray Aydın were present at the meeting.

After the meeting which lasted about 1.5 hours, CHP leader Özgür Özel said he offered the İYİ Party to collaborate for some municipalities in the local elections to be held on March 31, 2024.

The İYİ Party previously decided to field mayoral candidates in all provinces. 

“We respect this decision. But we asked the İYİ Party whether we can cooperate in the upcoming local elections, whether the party decision can be reviewed again, whether the people appointed by our parties would have the opportunity to work together for a cooperation regarding the local elections in the next period, if possible,” Özel said. 

Akşener said they would review Özel’s offer in the upcoming General Administrative Board (GİK) meeting of her party on Nov. 4.

After the electoral defeat of the opposition in the general and presidential elections in May, Akşener and the İYİ Party have openly criticized the alliance system, saying it fueled polarization in the country. 

In the general election, The CHP received 25.35 percent of the votes, whereas the İYİ Party remained at 9.69.

(English version by Alperen Şen)