Meral Akşener denies 'İYİ Party' claim: 'My belonging and loyalty...'

Meral Akşener, who stepped down as chair of the İYİ Party after the March 31 local elections, faced backlash within the party following her visit to AKP Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Palace.

It was alleged that during a meeting with party members who visited her during the Eid al-Adha holiday, Akşener told some of them, 'As a voter, convince me to vote for the İYİ Party.'

Akşener released a statement regarding the report on her social media account.

Denying the report, Akşener said, 'My belonging and loyalty to the İYİ Party, of which I am the Founding Chair, cannot be questioned by anyone, and it is also clear that I will not vote for any political party other than the İYİ Party as a voter.'

To the appreciation of the noble Turkish nation… pic.twitter.com/S5Rg8hCIRX

— Meral Akşener (@meral_aksener) July 21, 2024

The full text of Akşener's statement is as follows:

'A news report titled "Akşener wants to be convinced" was published on 21.07.2024 on the online news site gazeteduvar.com.

In the content of this published report, assessments were made stating, "It is known that Akşener, who met with party members visiting her during the recent Eid al-Adha, also met with some deputies. According to information reflected in parliamentary lobbies, Akşener told some party members who visited her, 'As a voter, convince me to vote for the İYİ Party'."

The statements contained in the news report are entirely untrue. I did not make any such statement to the party members who visited me during the holiday as described in the report. In recent days, some media outlets have been publishing untrue news stories using my name that are not based on any source.

Due to these reports, negative thoughts and opinions about me are being formed in society and among members of the İYİ Party, of which I am the Founding Chair.

My belonging and loyalty to the İYİ Party, of which I am the Founding Chair, cannot be questioned by anyone, and it is also clear that I will not vote for any political party other than the İYİ Party as a voter.

I once again invite press and media outlets to report accurately, impartially, and by citing sources, and to inform the public correctly.

For this reason, I request that this correction request be published on the website where the news content appeared, under the news item, so that the public can be informed accurately and from the source.'

News Source: 12punto