Akşener recalls the 'Table of Six': 'If you are going to nominate one of them, we are in'

İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener attended a rally in Kuşadası following an iftar dinner she shared with citizens in Söke, Aydın. İYİ Party Kuşadası Mayoral Candidate Behçet Alp was also by Akşener's side.

In her speech, Akşener addressed the citizens while speaking about the 2023 presidential elections. Here are the highlights from Akşener's speech:

"When 2019 arrived, I spoke with my friends. We discussed how to lift the hopelessness, unhappiness, and 'future anxiety' of the opposition voters. How we could make them hopeful again. How we could ensure they remain optimistic about the future, and we took a proposal to the CHP. We proposed forming an alliance in the local elections and entering the election together. In the end, we sat at the table. A month later, they said to the proposal, 'Go ahead, let's sit down.' I gave an instruction to my friends who sat at that table. This is for the good of Turkey, and on the other side is the good of the İYİ Party... I said, 'If you are going to choose the good of Turkey.' In other words, I want to say this: we were the ones who brought the proposal. The result of the proposal was the revival of the opposition, and in the 2023 elections, the result was for the opposition to win the election in a way that would change this freak system. That was my goal. 19 districts and 4 towns... When you look at it from here, did we come out as apprentices? Yes, we did. Did we ever say, 'Oh, why did this happen' in the sense that we came out as apprentices? No, we didn't. We stood behind all the mayors.

"IF YOU ARE GOING TO NOMINATE ONE OF THEM, WE ARE IN"

There is a saying by Mr. Erdoğan because we set out saying 'We will win 2023.' Whoever takes Istanbul takes Turkey. We took Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, and Kuşadası. This is where the rubber meets the road. While we thought we would save Turkey, friends were busy with their own schemes. Before the 2023 elections, in September 2021, I and 5 people sat down and had a conversation. The 'Table of Six' had not yet been established. I am sharing this with you for the first time. Let this be an extra scoop for the press in Kuşadası. It was a long conversation. I said, 'Mr. Kemal, if you are going to nominate one of the mayors of Istanbul or Ankara, we are in, but withdraw the other; if you are not going to nominate either of them, withdraw both, because the voters are becoming polarized.' Was it withdrawn? No. Was a candidate nominated? No.

"WE PASSED THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE"

In 2021, I said I would not be a presidential candidate so that my word would have value. Now I say it again, am I in a position where I would not consider myself worthy of a presidential candidacy? No. But what is it? To win the 2023 election. Then there was such a rush, the table was established. As a result, we looked and they said Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu would be elected with 60 percent. If the fault is mine, we received 9.67 percent. Look at what remains from 60 percent? 50.33 remains. In other words, Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu should have won with 51 percent. I am addressing the 'big brothers' who slander everyone they come across and try to act tough on everyone; your bullying does not work on the İYİ Party. We passed through the eye of a needle. We are not among those who bow their heads in this country while Atatürk's mother is being cursed; we are among those who would bring the sky down, as we follow in the footsteps of Atatürk and uphold all the values of the republic founded by Atatürk. Unfortunately, I wish we had won 2023, but we could not. We saw that the alliance system makes you an apprentice."

News Source: 12punto