'Free and independent' was the call. Reactions and resignations follow one after another in IYI Party

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) IYI Party Group Deputy Chairman İbrahim Özkan reacted to the decision in question.

In a statement on his social media account, Özkan said, "Politics cannot be conducted against the will of the organization."

"WE WILL BECOME EXCESSIVELY WEAKENED"

Former IYI Party Antalya Provincial Chairman Ahmet Aydın also announced his resignation from the party in a statement on his social media account.

Stating, "Neither my mind nor my heart can accept the shifting of our local administration program, which we carried out in harmony with the Republican People's Party, to a negative point," Aydın noted the following in his statement:

"The capital of politics is people, and its gain is hearts. A political structure and a politician should not squander their capital and gains recklessly. Because the fundamental mentality of politics is the effort to turn 1 into 2, and to turn 2 into 5 with the synergy captured.

A candidate can attract voters at a certain level with their own dialectic rather than the ideological stance or structure of their party. In short, this matter is also related to the politician's ability to touch the public and the synergy they create.

Because the issue is that neither my mind nor my heart can accept the shifting of our local administration program, which we carried out in harmony with the Republican People's Party, to a negative point.

It is clear that we will be excessively weakened due to this policy on the path to the 2024 Local Elections, which was embarked upon with the idea of 'we will weigh ourselves.' I do not believe that the choice of weighing ourselves is the local election. Until today, I have swallowed every injustice done to me; I have not engaged in agitation or rebellion. All of Antalya is a witness to what has been experienced.

However, saying that it is impossible for me to turn a blind eye to injustice being done to my principles, my ideals, and my country; in order not to be a partner in the wrong policies pursued since the General Election, and not to drag our country into a new bottleneck despite the one it is already in, and to contribute to creating hope again by working to solve the problem at the grassroots level, as of today, I am resigning from the IYI Party, for which I have been fighting since November 2015. I respectfully submit this to the public."