Having turned away Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) olive branch to revive their alliance in time for key mayoral elections next year, the Good Party (IP) is ensnared in a crisis worsening with almost daily resignations.
In a trend that took off since their six-party opposition bloc lost May’s presidential and parliamentary elections, the IP lost more pro-alliance members over its insistence on competing alone in March 2024’s local polls.
The party, already embroiled in infighting, including accusations of corruption in the administration, is either expelling, taking disciplinary action or forcing members to resign.
Another high-profile name walked out on Wednesday with a bang, announcing more coming dissent.
Ibrahim Özkan, the IP’s deputy group chair for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) council, currently governed by the CHP’s popular Ekrem Imamoğlu, was forced to resign upon IP leader Meral Akşener’s request.
Later, the party’s Istanbul Provincial Chair Yücel Coşkun revealed some seven members who reelected Özkan to his post would face disciplinary action with a “demand for their absolute expulsion” for “going behind” Akşener’s back.
Özkan, like many IP members, has been a vocal supporter of accepting the CHP’s newly minted leader Özgür Özel’s offer to team up in the upcoming vote and argued the IP’s rejection was going against the popular opinion among party ranks.
Joining other founding members in quitting the party in protest last week were Istanbul lawmaker Ayşe Sibel Yanıkömeroğlu and Ankara lawmaker Adnan Beker, who stirred up another minor controversy for admitting to voting for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over former CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in May’s presidential runoff.
Akşener’s close circle hasn’t been spared either. Istanbul lawmaker Salim Ensarioğlu, who helped found IP and served on its executive board until May, was also referred to the disciplinary board after falling out with his party for his remarks over a historical Kurdish figure.
On Thursday, the party sacked its Law and Justice Policies Chair Ahmet Zeki Üçok, who had spelled out to Akşener and other executive members the potential consequences of rejecting CHP’s alliance, namely another major defeat.
Akşener’s deputy chair Ece Güner too announced her resignation on Thursday, citing the refusal to cooperate with CHP in Istanbul and Ankara.
“All I can do is respect this decision and quit. As an independent lawyer, I will continue fighting for my country by my own principles,” she said via X.
May’s defeat tore the opposition alliance apart seemingly for good. The IP has also blasted the CHP for the opposition’s poor showing in parliamentary polls. Yet, an alliance appears to be the only tangible way for the IP to get candidates elected.
The CHP itself is No. 2 in Türkiye in terms of support but needs votes from other opposition parties to win in certain cities. The IP’s decision, as well as the plan of its second-biggest ally, the pro-PKK Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP) (or DEM), to run its own candidates in March, is a major roadblock for the CHP to maintain its hold in Istanbul and Ankara. It won in the two key cities in 2019 over Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for the first time in over two decades.
The CHP is set to announce mayoral candidates later this week, similar to the AK Party, which says it has received over 6,000 applications so far.
Erdoğan has instructed his party to seek candidates with a good public image, “not candidates simply favored (by political lobbies).”
