Call to Meral Akşener from Bahadır Erdem, who resigned from the İYİ Party, ahead of the GİK meeting

In the political agenda, all eyes have turned to the İYİ Party's General Administrative Board (GİK) meeting taking place today. 

CHP leader Özgür Özel has made a cooperation proposal to İYİ Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener, who had previously decided to enter the local elections in all 81 provinces with her own candidates.

Following her meeting with Özel, Akşener stated, "We were naturally going to convene the General Administrative Board on Monday anyway. We will ask this question to our General Administrative Board there. We will see what kind of answer they will give."

Bahadır Erdem, who resigned from the İYİ Party, addressed İYİ Party leader Akşener in a post on his social media account ahead of the critical meeting. 

The statement made by Erdem is as follows: 

“As is known, the İYİ Party set out as a movement of the brave and was founded to be a breath of fresh air and a path for our nation, which is crushed between the deadlocks of Turkish politics. Together with Ms. Chairwoman Meral Akşener, the esteemed GİK members, and the İYİ Party organization, we witnessed and bore witness to how every touch we made to our nation during the days we traveled across our country over the past 3 years, saying ‘we are wearing out our shoes, not our seats,’ became a hope for opposition voters, regardless of their party affiliation. And through this, we gained a place in the hearts of our nation. Although the subsequent election process unfortunately did not result in success, it should not be forgotten that a significant portion of our nation voted for opposition parties, entrusting the opposition with the responsibility of defending their rights. Because of this responsibility, the only hope for opposition voters against the current one-man regime, which becomes more indifferent as its power increases, still depends on the cooperation that the CHP and the İYİ Party will carry out within a framework of logic, reason, and fairness.”

“BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT IN A MANNER THAT CONFIRMED…”

Ms. Chairwoman Meral Akşener; In every face-to-face meeting I had with you after the election, I repeatedly stated the value of continuing inter-party cooperation, especially that the Istanbul and Ankara municipalities remaining in the opposition is very, very important for the morale of the voters and the motivation for the next election. You listened to me every time and stated that you would think about it. I left the party because the rhetoric and actions during the continuation process were not in a manner that confirmed this thought of mine.

“EVEN ONE PERCENT HAS BECOME VALUABLE”

And yet, today there is one last chance before you and the GİK members. With the decision you make, you will not only determine the fate of the İYİ Party or İYİ Party voters. The future—that is, the kind of Turkey in which all opposition voters will live until the next general elections—is in your hands. Unfortunately, in our polarized country, the sides in elections are sharply divided into two, and therefore, even a single percentage point that might be lost has become very, very valuable. As a result of a potential decision by the İYİ Party General Administrative Board to enter the elections independently in all 81 provinces and districts, there is a very strong possibility that many municipalities currently held by the opposition will be left to the AKP due to the splitting of votes. Considering this framework, as a law professor, a father, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey, and a former fellow traveler, my request to you is to take a stance in favor of this unity of power, which the opposition possesses through great efforts and which is very valuable.

“KNOWINGLY CAUSING OPPOSITION VOTERS TO LOSE THEIR CITY…”

Of course, as I have always said and found to be correct, the İYİ Party is an independent party and has every right to field its own candidates. In this regard, I would like to underline this so that my call is not misunderstood. What I have always meant by cooperation is that the stakeholder parties reach a consensus on a rational and fair cooperation. Therefore, a cooperation that covers at least the districts where loss is almost certain due to vote splitting in important metropolitan cities like Istanbul and Ankara will surely satisfy every segment, and thus a solution will be found. It is not possible for any party to become the hope for the country's future by causing opposition voters to lose all hope in the country and to hate politics. 

Knowingly causing opposition voters to lose their city does not provide power or reputation to any political party. The most important thing for today is to ensure, by working together, that the opposition wins back Istanbul, Ankara, and many other provinces in this stuck political regime that the AKP and its partners have dragged the country into. Finally, I would like to emphasize again. The upcoming local election is not just a local election. While it is crystal clear what the result of the division experienced in the local elections on March 27, 1994, has brought upon the country today, I hope the same mistake is not made again.”

Değerli kamuoyu,

Bilindiği üzere İYİ Parti cesurlar hareketi olarak yola çıkmış, Türk siyasetinin sıkışmışlığı arasında ezilen milletimize bir nefes, bir yol olmak için kurulmuştur.

Sn. Genel Başkan Meral Akşener ve değerli GİK üyeleri ve İYİ Parti teşkilatı ile birlikte,…

— Bahadır Erdem (@BBahadirErdem) December 4, 2023

News Source: 12punto