İbrahim Özkan’s ‘Yavaş and İmamoğlu’ reaction to IYI Party

İbrahim Özkan, who was stated to have resigned at Akşener's instruction but was re-elected as the IYI Party Group Deputy Chairman of the IMM by a group vote, evaluated the discussions within the party. Recalling that İmamoğlu and Yavaş were considered for the vice presidency, Özkan said, "It is insincerity to say 'These people cannot manage metropolitan cities' about people to whom you would entrust the country."

Explaining that he made efforts to establish cooperation for the 2024 local elections, Özkan stated that he told IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu that something needed to be done, and that a few days later, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel visited IYI Party Chairwoman Meral Akşener.

Stating that he went to İmamoğlu again after the meeting by conducting "back-door diplomacy," Özkan expressed that İmamoğlu told him that "making an offer while there is a General Administrative Board (GİK) decision could be considered impolite."

Özkan stated that after the GİK decided again not to cooperate regarding Özel's proposal, he met with İmamoğlu again and conveyed to him that districts such as Arnavutköy, Esenler, Bağcılar, and Kağıthane, which were left to their party in the 2019 local elections, caused discomfort, and that these were districts where the AK Party received a high number of votes.

Noting that he told İmamoğlu that the IYI Party needed to have certain gains for the cooperation proposal to be concrete, Özkan relayed that upon the Mayor's question, "What could the expectation be?", he explained that they should be given 3 winnable municipalities, 25 metropolitan council memberships in the IMM, and one deputy mayoral position in 14 municipalities.

When asked, "Is this your resignation announcement from the IYI Party?", Özkan replied, "They say they have referred us to the disciplinary board with a precautionary measure, but there is no written justification notified to us for expulsion. We have friends who say, 'Let's see that first,' and there are also those who say, 'Let's resign without seeing it at all.' We will evaluate the situation with our friends on Monday and make a decision."

To the question, "With whom are you conducting the back-door diplomacy you mentioned?", Özkan replied, "I carried out the process with Mr. İmamoğlu with the knowledge of my Provincial Chairman (Yücel Coşkun)."

Pointing out that it is being said in the press and on social media that these events were organized by İmamoğlu, Özkan said that the IMM Mayor was unfairly accused and that he called him after the decision to express his sadness.

'I WILL CONTINUE TO PRACTICE MY POLITICS'

Upon the question, "Are you the Deputy Chairman of the IYI Party Group?", Özkan said, "Yes, I am officially. But when you are referred to the disciplinary board with a precautionary measure, you cannot use party titles. However, since there is nothing notified to us, I still appear as the group deputy chairman. It is written like that in the decision book. There is no contrary decision yet."

Pointing out that he does not think there will be a step back regarding the expulsion process, Özkan said, "If the process is now blocked, they will expel us, we know this. You can expel by finding an article in the Law on Political Parties, but I know that it is difficult to find an article to expel us. Because my friends acted according to the bylaws. They held an election and operated intra-party democracy."

Özkan continued his words as follows:

"I think it would not be very right for us to say today that the two mayors, whom we claimed yesterday could manage the country, 'cannot manage Istanbul and Ankara.' It is insincerity to say 'These people cannot manage metropolitan cities' about people to whom you would entrust the country. I will continue not to call what I said was right yesterday, wrong today. I will continue to practice my politics in a principled manner."

İbrahim Özkan had announced that he resigned from his position as IYI Party Group Deputy Chairman of the IMM in line with the request of Chairwoman Akşener, and the IYI Party Group of the IMM had re-elected Özkan to the same position.

IYI Party Provincial Chairman Yücel Coşkun had also announced that the council members who re-elected Özkan were referred to the disciplinary board with a request for permanent expulsion.