Aksener: No reason for the collapse of the opposition bloc against Erdogan

Aksener: No reason for the collapse of the opposition bloc against Erdogan
Publish:
A+ A-
“Why would the six-party table collapse? We are saying that we will win together,” Aksener said

Meral Aksener, the leader of the Turkish opposition Good Party (IYIP) said there’s no reason for the collapse of the six-party table which is working on for putting forward a joint candidate to run against Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next year’s presidential elections.

Aksener on Tuesday held a first face-to-face meeting with main opposition CHP’s chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu after the tensions rose between the two due to her support for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s possible presidential candidacy.

Commenting over last night’s meeting with Kilicdaroglu to Yetkin Report, “Why would the six-party table collapse? We are saying that we will win together,” Aksener said.

Turkey is gearing up for presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for June next year, arguably one of the most critical polls in the country’s history. Turkish President Erdogan, supported by his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) governing ally far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will run for another term for presidency in the elections. Six opposition parties, including CHP and IYIP who teamed up to restore a parliamentary system in Turkey, are also working to put forward a joint candidate to run against Erdogan. Despite no joint name yet to be declared by the six-party alliance, CHP leader Kilicdaroglu on several occasions has greenlighted for his candidacy should the opposition bloc agrees on his name. However, Aksener’s openly declaring that she preferred one of the mayors of Ankara or Istanbul to be nominated as a candidate and announcing a quick support for CHP’s Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu following his conviction by to prison sentence by a Turkish court earlier this month, Kilicdaroglu said no party leader should interfere in the inner politics of other parties.

Turkey’s popular opposition mayor’s name is among the strongest possible presidency candidates to run against Erdogan in next year’s presidential elections, according to leading polls.

A Turkish court on Dec.14 has sentenced Imamoglu to 2 years, 7 months and 15 days in prison on charges of insulting the members of Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) in 2019, when the YSK annulled a mayorship election following Imamoglu’s victory. The court also banned him from politics, a decision which needs to be finalized by the supreme court in order to be implemented.