The 'Erdoğan' detail that stood out in Koray Aydın's speech at the İYİ Party congress!

The highly anticipated 5th Extraordinary Congress of the İYİ Party has begun. No spectators were admitted to the congress held at the ATO Congresium in Ankara.

Koray Aydın, Müsavat Dervişoğlu, Mehmet Tolga Akalın, and Günay Kodaz are competing for the chairmanship.

Koray Aydın took the podium to deliver his speech after Meral Akşener, Müsavat Dervişoğlu, and Mehmet Tolga Akalın.

While chairmanship candidate Müsavat Dervişoğlu stated in his speech at the congress, "I beg you, for the sake of Allah, give me a chance; I want to settle scores with Tayyip Erdoğan in the squares of Turkey. Give me that power, give me that support, do not withhold it from me," another candidate, Mehmet Tolga Akalın, said, "Today is the last day of the old Turkey, that is, the Tayyip Erdoğan administration. Today is the first day of our path to power. Of course, in this march, we are opening a new era shoulder to shoulder with Turkish patriots, Turkish democrats, and sincere conservatives."

It was noted that AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was not mentioned in Aydın's speech text.

"UNFORTUNATELY, WE ENTERED THE SECOND CENTURY OF THE REPUBLIC WITH A ONE-MAN SYSTEM"

Aydın, who did not mention Erdoğan by name, used the following expressions: "Unfortunately, for the last 22 years; we have faced a government that has moved away from rights, law, justice, and freedoms, that has fallen into ostentation and luxury while the citizens struggle with hunger and misery; and that is disconnected from the people. Unfortunately, for the last 22 years; we have been governed by a power that sometimes trampled on nationalism, and when cornered, fell at the feet of nationalists to win elections. Unfortunately, we entered the second century of the Republic with a one-man system."

Highlights from Koray Aydın's statements are as follows:

"THE NATION IS ONE, AND ITS NAME IS TURK"

Today in this hall; I see the determination of Bilge Kağan, who worked day and night without sleep so that our nation might live and its state and traditions might not be corrupted; the resolve of Sultan Alparslan, who made Anatolia a homeland for the Turkish Nation; the will of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Han, who turned dreams into reality by moving ships over land; and the love of freedom of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who ignited the fire of Turkish independence against the occupiers!

Today, when I look at this hall; I see the bright-hearted youth, the strong women, and the honest, brave, and proud İYİ Party family that has endured many hardships but has not been broken.

I am aware that your belief that change will be good is your support and your hope. You are certain that we will rise again, that we will stand up! Because I share the same faith and determination as you; I am here before you today as a candidate for chairman! My dear fellow travelers; We are at the beginning of the second century of our Republic. Unfortunately, for the last 22 years; we have faced a government that has moved away from rights, law, justice, and freedoms, that has fallen into ostentation and luxury while the citizens struggle with hunger and misery; and that is disconnected from the people. Unfortunately, for the last 22 years; we have been governed by a power that sometimes trampled on nationalism, and when cornered, fell at the feet of nationalists to win elections. Unfortunately, we entered the second century of the Republic with a one-man system.

"THIS GOVERNMENT HAS RESTRICTED FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS"

The government and this freak system have disregarded the fundamental values of our Republic! They have restricted fundamental rights and freedoms! They have imprisoned the fate of the country between two lips! They have discredited our supreme parliament, which served as the headquarters for the national struggle! This freak system has turned the separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judiciary—the indispensable principle of democracy—into a consolidation of powers.

This government and this freak system; have increased the country's external debt to exactly 500 billion dollars! They have raised inflation to a record triple-digit level! They have condemned the nation to poverty! With the fallacy that “interest is the cause, inflation is the result,” they have destroyed the value of the Turkish Lira and the purchasing power of the nation. While this government adds wealth to the wealth of its cronies, it has forced the citizens to wait in line for cheap meat in the early hours of the morning! This government has condemned civil servants, workers, and retirees to live below the hunger threshold by rapidly impoverishing them!

This government has stolen the dreams of young people by prioritizing cronyism instead of merit! Instead of taking measures to prevent brain drain, they told our youth, “if they want to leave, let them leave.” This government has used our supreme religion, Islam, as a tool for its dirty politics! With a “he steals but he works” mentality, it has tried to legitimize the hand reaching into the public treasury. It has tried to mask its wrong economic policies by saying “there is a religious decree.” We will not leave Turkey condemned to this government. We will tear this government away from the collar of the Turkish nation.

"OUR PARTY HAS BEEN SHAKEN"

As stated in the declaration where our Chairman, Ms. Meral Akşener, announced on April 8 that she would not be a candidate, our party has been “shaken.” To overcome this tremor with the least damage, it is essential and inevitable that we conduct a situational assessment! What happened that our party, which was mentioned with 20 percent of the votes, regressed to 4 percent... What happened that our vote in Ankara, which was 13 percent, fell to 0.9 percent. What happened that our vote in Istanbul, which was 8 percent, fell to 0.6 percent. Of course, the dynamics of local elections are different, of course, this is not the true vote of the İYİ Party, but if we do not make a correct assessment and take urgent intervention, this bad picture will become permanent!

Politics cannot be done by turning a deaf ear to the voice of society, our party organizations, and the demands of the grassroots. In short, politics cannot be done against the nation. This is the first lesson we must learn from the election results! Our Chairman is aware of this negative picture. The fact that our Chairman has paved the way for an Extraordinary Congress and is not a candidate herself is a sign of democratic maturity and an exemplary attitude. Now it is our turn! Now it is your turn! Now it is the turn of the 'İYİ's (the Good ones)!...

The government made an early election decision in a rush to prevent us from entering the election and to block our power. Thanks to you, fear has gripped the government front. Do not forget that this is your work. Thanks to you, we have all together thwarted the traps of the government, the Supreme Election Council, and the pro-government media. With the spirit of that congress, with that will for unity and solidarity, we have all together left our mark on Turkish politics. We took our place in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey with a strong group in the election held just 8 months after our party's establishment.

"THIS OPPORTUNITY WAS WASTED AT THE END OF THE SIX-PARTY TABLE PROCESS"

When the İYİ Party entered parliament as a brand-new alternative in the 2018 elections, the AK Party lost its majority in parliament. It became dependent on the support of its partner. In 2019, thanks to the cooperation strategy in the local elections, which I was the mastermind of and which our Chairman found appropriate; many metropolitan cities such as Ankara, Istanbul, and Antalya were taken out of the hands of the government, and the nation took a deep breath.

Thanks to the İYİ Party, for the first time, the opposition defeated the government at the ballot box. Thanks to the İYİ Party, for the first time, psychological superiority passed to the opposition. Thanks to the İYİ Party, for the first time, an opportunity for power arose for the opposition in the 2023 elections. However, we must express with sadness that this opportunity, which the İYİ Party presented to the noble Turkish nation on a silver platter with a thousand efforts and endeavors, was wasted at the end of the Six-Party Table process. It was destroyed, so to speak. There was an AK Party government in the ring that had been knocked out, but we could never land that finishing blow.

“THE DEFINITION OF TURKISH CITIZENSHIP IS OUR RED LINE”

The introductory provisions of the Constitution, the first four articles, and the definition of Turkish citizenship are our red lines! Everyone should know that we will stand tall against those who target the founding values of the Republic, against those who target Turkishness and the Turkish language, and against enemies of the Turks and Atatürk! The nation is one, and its name is Turk! This is a judgment given by history and it will remain so!

I want to speak to you from the very center of my heart: My brothers and sisters, I know you have resentments. I know you have sorrows. I know you have regrets. When you look back at the great efforts expended, you have aching hearts. But I know very well that: you also have a will of steel, capable of gathering what is scattered, building what is destroyed, and healing aching hearts! Your will is a will that has reached these days by challenging oppressors. It is a will over which guardianship cannot be established. And so, I surrender and entrust myself to this will, in which my confidence is infinite.

“HOLD MY HANDS…”

My brothers and sisters, I promise you an İYİ Party that you will be proud of and embrace. You will see and feel this from the first weeks, and all of Turkey will see and feel it from the first months. I promise you an İYİ Party that will never make you bow your heads! I promise you the power of the İYİ Party. I promise the Turkish nation a good life and a safe country. I promise happiness to the Turkish child and hope to the Turkish youth.

So, on this path; hold my hands, let us lift up the bowed heads! Hold my hands, let us raise the İYİ Party! Hold my hands, let us raise Turkey! May the Almighty Allah be our helper and supporter!"