The İYİ (Good) Party’s decision to run independently in the local elections in March has led to the resignation of the party’s fifth lawmaker since the beginning of November, local media reported on Thursday.
Ankara MP Yüksel Arslan announced his departure on Thursday in a written statement shared on X, formerly Twitter, expressing his support for the current mayor of the capital, Mansur Yavaş.
Arslan said he would continue his membership in parliament as an independent deputy, stating that İYİ ‘s decision to run independently in the metropolitan and district mayoral elections in Ankara wasn’t “appropriate.”
KAMUOYUNA DUYURULUR:
İYİ Parti, Türk siyasetinde ortaya çıkan derin boşluğu doldurmak, seçmenin iradesinin en doğru şekilde parlamentoya yansımasını sağlamak amacıyla kurulmuştur. Ülkemizde demokrasinin kökleşip kurumsallaşmasını ve kamu kaynaklarının etkin, verimli bir şekilde… pic.twitter.com/fr0F2LNozN— Yüksel Arslan (@ArslanYuksel06) December 21, 2023
The lawmaker disclosed details of a meeting with İYİ leader Meral Akşener on Dec. 6, claiming that the chairwoman informed him that a concrete proposal for cooperation from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had not been received. Akşener also told him that she did not view Yavaş negatively.
Arslan said Akşener told him, “I know you’re close to Mr. Mansur. I can’t tell you to work for our party’s candidate in Ankara. You are free.”
Arslan’s resignation follows Akşener’s accusation of Yavaş, along with İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, of being cowardly for not responding to her proposal for him to be the presidential candidate of the now-disbanded opposition alliance in the May election.
Arslan strongly supported Yavaş, emphasizing his long-standing connection. Having known Yavaş since childhood, Arslan attested to his bravery and rejected the accusation that he was a coward.
İYİ had previously broken away from the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an election ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). İYİ Party leader Akşener, who was a member of the MHP for years, parted ways with the MHP due to disagreements and established her own party in October 2017.
The İYİ Party set up an alliance with the main opposition CHP before the 2018 general election, which also continued for this year’s elections in May, when the opposition bloc suffered a significant defeat.
This decision comes in the wake of the party’s controversial choice to nominate candidates in every constituency for the mayoral elections, breaking away from the effective electoral collaboration that played a crucial role in the main opposition CHP’s triumphs in crucial battlegrounds like Ankara and İstanbul in 2019.
The repercussions of the party’s move to run independently have been significant, with a succession of resignations and dismissals among lawmakers and prominent figures within the party, leading to a reduction in its parliamentary seats from 44 to 38 since November.
Lawmakers Nebi Hatipoğlu, Ayşe Sibel Yanıkömeroğlu, Adnan Beker, Salim Ensarioğlu and Arslan resigned, while MP Ümit Dikbayır was expelled from the party.