There is not just one, but several crises in the İYİ Party: It all started with the 'primary'

Ercan KÜÇÜK - 12punto.com.tr

The crisis in the İYİ Party, which began with resignations and a petition submitted to the party by Sakarya MP Ümit Dikbayır, continues. The events unfolding in the party, where further resignations are expected, are being evaluated as an 'administrative crisis.' While fingers are pointed at Chairperson Meral Akşener, the roots of the crisis are traced back to the parliamentary primary elections held in April.

The crisis in the İYİ Party has extended to resignations and expulsions. Sources who have known Chairperson Meral Akşener for many years describe the situation as an 'administrative crisis.' It is noted that Akşener has been unable to end the crisis. İYİ Party members emphasize that there is not just one single crisis currently occurring in the party, but rather many different crises happening simultaneously. They categorize these under the following headings:

• Rent-seeking crisis,
• Primary election crisis,
• The 'Mr. Kemal' lobby that advocates for an alliance with the CHP,
• The struggle for the Chairperson position after Akşener.

RENT-SEEKING CRISIS

The names frequently discussed in the İYİ Party recently and associated with resignations are known as wealthy businesspeople. It is even noted that approximately 30 of the 43 MPs are businesspeople. Names such as Nebi Hatipoğlu and Seyithan İşsiz are cited within this group, and it was expected that these individuals would resign from the party after the elections, ever since they were first included on the list.

The issue of Meral Akşener's assets, which began to be discussed following a petition submitted by Ümit Dikbayır to the party's High Disciplinary Board and the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), has also caused discomfort within the party. An İYİ Party member who has known Akşener closely since her MHP years pointed out that Akşener reacts most harshly to allegations that she and her relatives are profiting from the party.

PRIMARY ELECTION CRISIS

Before the general elections held in May, primary elections were conducted in the İYİ Party in April. These primaries were marked by controversy. İYİ Party sources speaking to 12punto summarized the events during the primaries as follows:

• Many of the party's first-term MPs were purged through the primary elections.
• The party was opened to membership during the primary process.
• Wealthy individuals registered many members to the party. Thanks to these members, the names currently being discussed and associated with resignations topped the lists in the primaries and were elected as MPs.
• The voting was not conducted under appropriate physical conditions.
• Duplicate votes were cast.
• Individuals who were not party members were allowed to vote.
• Av. Uğur Poyraz, who entered the list from Ankara in the primary, was placed on the parliamentary lists from Antalya.

The primary crisis in the İYİ Party had caused controversy at the time as well: Aytun Çıray, one of the founders of the İYİ Party, wrote the following in a tweet criticizing the primary results in İzmir:

“Our main topic is different, but... You will see here too, with the signatures of the İzmir Provincial Administration, that the primary was a sham. Ms. Akşener accepted this as legitimate, knowing this. If you say, 'You should have ignored this irregularity'... Whoever turns a blind eye to this today will be no different from the AKP in management tomorrow.”

THE 'MR. KEMAL' LOBY

The İYİ Party announced that it would compete with its own candidates in every electoral district in the local elections. However, the presence of individuals within the party who advocated for an alliance with the CHP continued. According to information obtained from İYİ Party sources, the names of some of these individuals were crossed out during the primaries. Some were sidelined during the General Administrative Board elections on the day of the congress. Bahadır Erdem was one of these names. İYİ Party sources evaluated Bahadır Erdem's resignation within this framework.

LEADERSHIP STRUGGLE AFTER AKŞENER

It would not be a surprise if an extraordinary general congress is held in the İYİ Party after the local elections. It has begun to be discussed more loudly that if the expected results are not achieved in the local elections, Akşener will not be a candidate again. The existence of members whose names stand out in this regard within the party is also being discussed. The first name that has been talked about for years for the post-Akşener era is Buğra Kavuncu. Known as Akşener's protégé, Kavuncu has served as party spokesperson, Istanbul Provincial Chairperson, and Organization Chairperson, respectively.

Other names mentioned for the post-Akşener era are Party Spokesperson Kürşat Zorlu and Tolga Akalın. Although Kürşat Zorlu is still new to the party, he is a popular figure due to his academic background. Tolga Akalın is also among the names whose name stands out for leadership as a figure loved and respected by nationalists (Ülkücüler) in the party. Who Koray Aydın, whose silence during these processes is noteworthy, will support during the congress process is also among the topics of curiosity.