Good Party (IP), a member of the Nation Alliance of the opposition, unveiled its election manifesto Sunday. Party chair Meral Akşener announced the manifesto at an event in the capital Ankara.
The lengthy manifesto is not different from the election pledges of many other parties, including the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) single-digit inflation and a growth rate of about 5%. Yet, IP will likely draw criticism for its staunch anti-refugee stand.
The party, which lags behind the opposition bloc’s leader Republican People’s Party (CHP) will endorse that party’s presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. In the parliament, it aspires to have a say on state affairs while Akşener will be one of many vice presidents of Kılıçdaroğlu if the latter wins.
A traditionally nationalist party, IP, founded by former members of the current government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) offers a more far-right agenda.
Although the party tucked the items about refugees at the end of the manifesto, it appears more hawkish than its rival Victory Party (ZP) whose sole campaign pledge is sending away refugees and migrants.
IP says it will end Türkiye’s “open door” policy on the borders and would enforce a strict border regime. It promises preemptive measures against mass migration to Türkiye “beyond borders.” It also pledges what Türkiye has long been criticizing: Pushing back the migrants.
Greece currently resorts to the controversial practice of forcibly pushing back irregular migrants arriving from Türkiye, occasionally leading to the deaths of migrants on the Aegean Sea or a river between the two countries.
IP also says refugees (namely, those from Syria) would not be given citizenship and all “privileges” they were entitled to would be rendered invalid. All irregular migrants will be rounded up immediately for deportation, IP also pledged.
The main source of refugees is Türkiye’s neighbor Syria and IP pledges to maintain good ties with Syria, by signing a “good neighborhood and friendship agreement” and updating the 1998 Adana Agreement. The said agreement was signed with the primary goal of the expulsion of members of the terrorist group PKK from Syria.
Syria scrapped the deal after the civil war erupted over Türkiye’s support for the opposition forces. Türkiye recently resumed talks for normalization with the Assad regime though no concrete deal is expected before the elections.
