İmamoğlu arrested, squares fill up… Meral Akşener breaks her silence with an iftar photo!

While many political actors took to the squares following the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, one of the names who remained silent was former İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener.

As will be recalled, Akşener had gone to Saraçhane following the prison sentence given to İmamoğlu in 2022, addressed the crowd, and stated, "Democracy is on the side of my brother Ekrem." It was noted that Akşener, who frequently supported İmamoğlu at that time by calling him "my son," maintained her silence throughout the detention process and after his arrest.

SILENT FOR 5 DAYS

No statement came from Akşener regarding the developments following the issuance of detention warrants for 106 people, including İmamoğlu, on March 19. Despite the İBB Mayor being taken into custody in a dawn operation, being arrested by the court he was brought before, and hundreds of thousands gathering in Saraçhane and Çağlayan to support İmamoğlu, Akşener's silence became a subject of debate on social media as well.

While her party's new Chair, Müsavat Dervişoğlu, gave open support to İmamoğlu at both Saraçhane and the Çağlayan Courthouse, Akşener did not make any posts for 5 days.

IFTAR PHOTO BECAME A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION 

On the day İmamoğlu was sent to Silivri Prison and millions flocked to the squares, a photo featuring Akşener was shared on social media.

İYİ Party Istanbul Deputy Burak Akburak shared a photo from an iftar dinner he attended with Akşener and added the following note:

"Together with our founding leader Ms. Meral Akşener, we attended the iftar invitation of my dear friend Ahmet Arslan. I was very pleased to be together with patriotic people who love their country very much and create added value. May they prosper."

SHE HAD SPOKEN AT THE SARAÇHANE RALLY

In December 2022, the Saraçhane Rally, which opposition party chairs also attended, was held due to the prison sentence given to İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in the 'fool' case.

Meral Akşener, who was the İYİ Party Chair at the time, went to the Saraçhane Rally before anyone else, hugged İmamoğlu for a long time, and said the following in her speech:

"To those who wrap their black robes around a theater, an injustice, you Istanbulites calling out from here are saying, 'If the Palace is yours, Saraçhane is ours.' You are saying, 'If the oppression is yours, if the injustice is yours, the ballot box is ours.' The will of 16 million Istanbulites is here, the nation is here. Democracy, the will of the nation is here and on the side of my brother Ekrem. The youth say, 'Long live freedom, down with tyranny.' Even if they close their ears to this voice, even if they call you and us 'terrorists,' even if they unjustly judge and punish my brother Ekrem, this voice, this heart, this courage, this goodness, this love of democracy, and the will demonstrated by the punishment to be given at the ballot box show that we see from Saraçhane that not only 16 million Istanbulites but 85 million of Turkey are now on your side. No injustice lasts forever. Especially not in our beloved nation. Just as they came, they will go with your will."