Statement on party chairmanship from IYI Party's Bilge Yılmaz
Former IYI Party Deputy Chairman Bilge Yılmaz, who announced his resignation on the night of the March 31 elections, had made headlines by sharing harsh criticisms of his party. A statement has now come from Yılmaz, whose name had been mentioned following Akşener's withdrawal.
12punto
In a statement on his social media account, Bilge Yılmaz used the following expressions:
"The declaration by our Chairperson, Ms. Meral Akşener, that she will not be a candidate in our upcoming extraordinary congress is an exceptional move that should be met with appreciation in terms of our political culture. Ms. Akşener has demonstrated an example of political maturity and courtesy.
'I WILL NOT BE A CANDIDATE, I WILL NOT PROVIDE SUPPORT'
She will always be remembered well by our nation for the democratic stance she displayed against the February 28 junta, the courage she showed in founding a party during the days of the State of Emergency (OHAL), and her insistence on going into the 2023 presidential elections with a 'winnable candidate,' the value of which is better understood these days.
Time, sooner or later, delivers its verdict on all of us in the most equitable way. On this occasion, I would like to state that I am not a candidate for the chairmanship for the upcoming congress and that I will not provide unconditional support to any of the current candidates.
I have stated many times that the reason for the unsuccessful results we received in the elections is the current management approach and institutional weaknesses. However, the chairperson leaving her post will not make the problems disappear overnight and will not automatically lead us to success.
To be successful, it is necessary to be able to speak not only to the IYI Party but to all of Turkey, to be able to make a unique reading of the country's issues, and to be able to explain to citizens how we will solve problems when we take over the administration of the country. History is full of chairpersons who have received the approval of delegates but could not see the favor of the citizens. Therefore, what we need is not a chairperson to fill the place of a chairperson who has shown the maturity to resign because they were unsuccessful.
What we need is a political project that analyzes failure, puts forward its own solutions, and succeeds in convincing us of achieving success. If we skip this and focus only on names, I have no doubt that the party will be even more unsuccessful in the next elections. Therefore, my expectation from the current candidates is that they should not be in a process where they only convince the delegates, but also explain their political vision and projects to the public. Only in this way will Ms. Akşener's withdrawal from politics gain meaning, and only in this way will our party become ambitious again as an effective actor in the political system."