Meral Akşener spotted after a long time
The whereabouts and activities of former İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener, who has stayed out of the public eye since stepping down from the party leadership, have been a subject of public curiosity. Akşener has now appeared in a photograph taken at Kuğulu Park in Ankara.
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After failing to achieve the expected success in the March 31, 2024, local elections, Meral Akşener, the founding Chair of the İYİ Party, handed over the leadership to Müsavat Dervişoğlu following the election results and withdrew from the public eye. Akşener was caught on camera after a long hiatus.
Akşener had previously been spotted at two different funerals after a long time, where her change in hair color to blonde had drawn attention.
Most recently, Akşener was seen at Ankara's Kuğulu Park with her husband Tuncer Akşener, her Chief of Staff Esma Bekar, her protocol security officer Sinan İnce, and İYİ Party GİK member Fatih Koca.
WHAT HAPPENED?
For the March 31 local elections, Meral Akşener, who was the İYİ Party Chair at the time, and the İYİ Party General Administrative Board had decided to enter the elections in all 81 provinces and all districts with their own candidates.
Following the failure to achieve the desired results in the Local Administration Elections, rumors frequently surfaced regarding Akşener's resignation. Meral Akşener, the founding Chair of the İYİ Party, took her party to an Extraordinary Congress on April 27, but did not run as a candidate during this process.
Speaking at her party's extraordinary congress, Akşener stated that she took responsibility for the failure, saying, "You achieve the success. From today on, you will protect this house, you will keep it standing. May your path and fortune be clear," as she bid farewell to the İYİ Party.
After handing over the leadership seat to Müsavat Dervişoğlu, who was serving as the Group Deputy Chair at the time, Meral Akşener withdrew from the public eye.