İYİ Party denies potential alliance with CHP for local elections in case of leadership change in latter

Duvar English

Nationalist opposition İYİ (Good) Party's Spokesperson Kürşat Zorlu on Oct. 16. denied the claims that the party could ally with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in the event of a possible change in the CHP leadership. “The outcome of another party's general congress has no relation with our decision," he stated during a press conference. 

Zorlu added, “The İYİ  Party will field its own candidates in all 81 provinces in accordance with the decision of the General Administrative Board.” 

The party’s chair Meral Akşener previously stated that they will field mayoral candidates in Istanbul and Ankara metropolitan municipalities and added that they take the risk of losing both municipalities to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). "We did not establish this party to elect CHP's candidates," Akşener said.

Mansur Yavaş and Ekrem İmamoğlu, from the CHP, were the first opposition mayors who garnered enough votes in 2019 to gain mayorship in Istanbul and capital Ankara after a long time. In the 2019 local elections, the İYİ Party and opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) did not field mayoral candidates for Istanbul and Ankara metropolitan municipalities.

After the general elections held in 2023, in which the İYİ Party ran with the Nation Alliance, the party started to oppose the alliance system on the grounds that it pushed back the party's identity.

Akşener had problems with the alliance, especially during the process of determining the presidential candidate, and has even announced that her party had left the alliance before returning back to the table.

İmamoğlu and Yavaş have announced that they will run again in the 2024 elections.

İYİ backs Turkey's position on Palestine-Israel conflicts

Zorlu also addressed the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel. "We condemn the inhumane acts and targeting of Gazans that Israel is trying to legitimize with counter-propaganda. However, it should not be forgotten that neither Hamas fully represents the Palestinian people, nor the current Israeli government the Israeli people,” he said.

Zorlu assessed that Turkey should work to prevent the spread of the conflict to Syria, further deepening the security threats to Turkey. “As the tendency to flee from the region increases, Turkey will face new migration mobility,” he stated. 

Zorlu said that İYİ Party welcomed the position of the Foreign Affairs Ministry on the issue so far and found Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s brief to the Parliament important. He finally underlined the importance of keeping Palestine-Israel a supra-party issue.