Names brought in by Akşener have left IYI Party one by one: 16 deputies changed parties

Mesut Özarslan, who entered politics alongside IYI Party Founding Chair Meral Akşener, had turned his course toward the CHP in 2023. Özarslan's CHP adventure was short-lived. Elected as the Mayor of Keçiören from the CHP, Özarslan resigned from his party and had filed a criminal complaint against CHP leader Özgür Özel. Özarslan had leaked messages sent to him by CHP leader Özel. It was seen that these messages contained profanities. CHP leader Özel claimed that Özarslan would join the AKP on Wednesday (February 11).

Following the dissolution of the Table of Six, which was formed for the 2023 elections, 9 deputies brought into the TBMM by Meral Akşener, who left politics, and 7 mayors elected in the local elections have headed toward the AKP. With the latest transitions, the number of seats the IYI Party holds in Parliament has dropped to 30.

According to the report in Sözcü, some deputies who changed parties, while having made harsh criticisms of the government during their time serving in the IYI Party, began making statements supporting government policies after joining the AKP.

The first name to move from the IYI Party to the AKP was Manisa Deputy Tamer Akkal. Subsequently, Antalya Deputy Tuba Vural Çokal, Balıkesir Deputy İsmail Ok, and Eskişehir Deputy Nebi Hatipoğlu joined the AKP. It was recalled that before his transfer, Hatipoğlu had used the expressions "What business do I have in the AKP, I do not get off the vehicle I am riding" to journalists.

Within 2024, Istanbul Deputy Seyithan İzsiz, Konya Deputy Ünal Karaman, Istanbul Deputy Ersagun Yücel, Ankara Deputy and party spokesperson Kürşad Zorlu, and Kayseri Deputy Dursun Ataş also moved to the AKP.

7 LOSSES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

A similar picture emerged in local governments. Yalvaç Mayor of Isparta Mustafa Koda, Yeşiltepe Mayor of Aksaray İsmail Akpınar, Yenişehir Mayor of Bursa Ercan Özel, Karacabey Mayor Fatih Karabatı, Horasan Mayor Hayrettin Özdemir, Yedisu Mayor Sedat Uçar, and Yenikent Mayor Cumali Öztürk resigned from the IYI Party and joined the AKP.

7 DEPUTIES ALSO JOINED THE CHP

On the other hand, some deputies who left the IYI Party headed to different addresses. Sibel Yanıkömeroğlu, Aykut Kaya, Bilal Bilici, Ümit Özlale, Adnan Beker, Ümit Dikbayır, and Nimet Özdemir moved to the CHP.

Mayoral transfers were not limited to the IYI Party. 29 mayors from the New Welfare Party (Yeniden Refah Partisi), 15 from independents, 10 from the CHP, 3 from the DEVA Party, and one each from the Felicity Party-Democrat Party alliance and the DEM Party joined the AKP.

News Source: 12punto