Meral Akşener's silence on Ümit Özdağ: Why is she staying quiet?

Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ was detained on allegations of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his speech at the 4th Provincial Chairs Workshop held in Antalya.

Özdağ, who was detained in Ankara as part of an investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, was taken to Istanbul to provide a statement.

Following this development, while many political leaders sent messages of support to Özdağ, it was noted that there has been no statement from his former colleague Meral Akşener, who left the İYİ Party in 2021 to found the Zafer Party.

REACTION FROM SİNAN OĞAN

Sinan Oğan, who was the presidential candidate of the ATA Alliance in the presidential elections and decided to support Erdoğan in the second round, criticized the detention decision against Ümit Özdağ. In a statement on his social media account, Oğan said the following:

“It is unacceptable that Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ was detained due to a speech he made in Antalya. The detention of a political party leader on the grounds that there was an insult in a speech he made has no contribution to our country and our democracy, and it cannot have one.”

Oğan also stated that instead of rapid detentions for accusations and insults against politicians, normal judicial processes should be followed, adding, “Such detentions increase social tension and harm our democracy.”

MUHARREM İNCE: IS THIS TO RELEASE TERRORIST LEADER ÖCALAN?

Memleket Party Chairman Muharrem İnce also criticized the detention of Özdağ and made a harsh statement. İnce had included the following expressions:

“An investigation into Ekrem İmamoğlu, detention for Ümit Özdağ. You are trying to intimidate anyone who is an opponent. Are these preparations being made to release the terrorist leader Öcalan?”

AKŞENER'S DEEP SILENCE

While Özdağ's detention has caused a stir in the political arena, it has drawn attention that Meral Akşener, one of the founders of the İYİ Party and a former colleague of Zafer Party leader Özdağ, has not offered any message of support.

ÖZDAĞ WORKED WITH AKŞENER

Ümit Özdağ worked with Akşener during the founding process of the İYİ Party, but left the party in 2021 to establish the Zafer Party.

As it will be remembered, during the MHP congress process in 2017, Ümit Özdağ, Meral Akşener, and Sinan Oğan had run for party leadership and were subsequently expelled from the MHP.