Convention time in the IYI Party, which candidate is ahead...

Şenol ÇARIK - 12punto.com.tr

The IYI Party, which suffered a major disappointment with a 3.7 percent vote share after leaving the Nation Alliance and entering the March 31 Local Elections alone, is holding an extraordinary congress. The congress, where 1,302 delegates are registered, will be held on Saturday, April 27, at the ATO Congresium in Ankara.

So far, Müsavat Dervişoğlu, Koray Aydın, and Attorney Mehmet Tolga Akalın have officially announced their candidacies for the congress, where Chairwoman Meral Akşener announced she would not be a candidate again.

While the name of Koray Aydın, a former Minister of Public Works and Housing with MHP roots who is said to have significant control over party organizations, stands out, it is claimed that Akşener supports Müsavat Dervişoğlu and has been calling members of parliament and provincial chairs to request their support.

Koray Aydın, who started his political career in the MHP at a young age and also served as MHP Secretary General, was actively involved in the founding of the IYI Party. Aydın, who served as the deputy chairman responsible for party organizations for a long time, announced his candidacy process with the words, "As a result of the consultations I have held with many of my fellow party members, I have decided to become a candidate for the Chairmanship."

Müsavat Dervişoğlu, who comes from the Ülkü Ocakları (Idealist Hearths) and also served as the MHP İzmir Provincial Chair, was actively involved in the IYI Party's founding process and also served as the party's Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair. Dervişoğlu responded to allegations that Meral Akşener supports him by saying, "I see myself as a unifying force. I do not have the character to be a placeholder, and Ms. Akşener does not have that mentality either."

It is stated that support for Attorney Mehmet Tolga Akalın, who was the founding IYI Party Edirne Provincial Chair and also comes from the Ülkü Ocakları, is increasing day by day and that he could be a surprise in the chairmanship race. Akalın, who served as the IYI Party Deputy Chair responsible for Migration Policies, had served as a defense attorney in conspiracy cases such as Ergenekon and Balyoz. In his candidacy announcement, Akalın said, "We lost our party to Erdoğan together. We set out not to lose a party to Erdoğan for a second time."

In political circles, it is stated that Meral Akşener supports Müsavat Dervişoğlu against Koray Aydın's candidacy. Among the rumors is that the chances of the other candidate, Mehmet Tolga Akalın, will increase in the face of the race between these two names who have influence in the party base, and that Akalın could slip through the middle...

News Source: Şenol Çarık