Absences at the joint iftar program in Parliament to be attended by Erdoğan

The iftar program hosted by Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş brings together members of parliament, cabinet members, high-level bureaucrats, and former Parliament speakers this evening. It was reported that AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will also be present at the program. While the official iftar gathering is planned to carry a message of "unity and solidarity," it is being discussed in the corridors of Parliament that this evening will present more than just a religious event, but also a political picture regarding the new term.

İYİ PARTY TO ORGANIZE ITS OWN IFTAR

According to a report by Cumhuriyet, the İYİ Party has chosen not to attend the iftar organized by the Parliament Speaker's Office, following a group decision. The party leadership states that this stance was taken to emphasize their criticisms regarding the reconciliation process. According to information reflected in the lobbies, the İYİ Party Group is organizing its own iftar in Parliament, displaying a stance separate from the joint iftar.

The İYİ Party, which has serious criticisms regarding the content and execution of the reconciliation process, does not look favorably upon the use of a joint photograph in Parliament that would carry a political message. Party officials state that "they want to show their opposition to the process with a symbolic gesture." Thus, this year, a night is being experienced where the Ramadan table under the roof of the TBMM is divided for the first time.

In the parliamentary iftar held on October 1 last year, the softening of political tension and calls for dialogue had come to the fore. In particular, the sincere conversation between Erdoğan and Deputy Parliament Speaker Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who passed away last year, had been evaluated as signals for the new term. However, opposition parties had continued to express their concerns regarding the scope and interlocutors of the reconciliation process to the public.

While the ruling wing stated that it sees this year's iftar in an "atmosphere of national unity and brotherhood," the İYİ Party's setting of a separate table showed that the political divisions caused by the process continue. In parliamentary lobbies, it is assessed that the political repercussions of the two separate iftar images will continue to be a subject of debate in the coming days.