Yavuz Agerli Oglu, deputy head of the Good Party, the second largest party of the “Umma” coalition consisting of 6 parties, resigned in protest of Kilicdaroglu’s candidacy, and the alliance’s entry into negotiations with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party.
Preferring defeat over an alliance with the Kurds
- Agerlioglu described the candidacy of Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People’s Party, the largest opposition party, as being “forced” on his party.
- He attacked, with strongly worded statements, the ongoing negotiations between the Republican People’s Party and the Kurdish-majority Peoples’ Democratic Party, which the Turkish government, as well as nationalist parties, view as a political extension of the terrorist-classified Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
- Ağrılıoğlu went further, when he said that he was more likely to lose than to win by “praising the killer of children,” referring to the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Abdullah Ocalan, who is calling on the Peoples’ Democratic Party to release him if the candidate supported by the party comes to power. .
- He added, “We will not be under the shadow of terrorism,” considering that the HDP is “blackmailing” Turkish democracy.
Repercussions of resignation
Turkish political analyst, Hisham Gunay, speaks to “Sky News Arabia” about his expectations for the results of the resignation of the deputy head of the Good Party at this critical time:
- There are opponents within the Good Party who object to Kilicdaroglu, but unlike Agrlioglu, they respect the party’s decision.
- He should have respected the decision of the majority, and not created confusion weeks before the elections scheduled for May 14th.
- The government-affiliated media devoted ample space to Agerlioglu’s criticism and supported his tendencies.
- It is possible that he will join the National Movement Party (the ruling party’s ally in the elections) that is closest to his orientations, or even join the Justice and Development Party.
- I do not think that his withdrawal from the Good Party may affect his electoral fortunes, or that new resignations will follow.
In a previous report, Gunay told our website that the HDP has set conditions in exchange for supporting Kilicdaroglu in the elections, including:
- The release of party leaders who are in prison.
- A discussion was raised about the Kurdish language, as the Kurds seek to be the second language in the country.
- Participate in drafting the new constitution if the opposition wins.
- Expanding the concept of citizenship to include all ethnicities and minorities in the country.
And he considered that if the response of the opposition “nation” coalition is confirmed to these points, then this means his concession by accepting “difficult conditions.”
The Good Party responded
After his resignation, the head of the party, Meral Aksner, decided to cancel a meeting that was scheduled with Agerli Oglu.
The party’s spokesman, Kurshad Zorlu, attributed this to that: “Resignation is a unilateral decision-making procedure… Therefore, the idea of meeting with our president in this context has lost its meaning and importance.”
With Agerlioglu’s resignation, the number of seats of the Iyyi Party in parliament decreased to 36.
Crises of the “nation” alliance
Meral Aksener herself previously withdrew from the “nation” coalition, protesting against Kilicdaroglu’s candidacy, but she quickly returned to the coalition table after accepting conditions related to the nomination of personalities she supported as deputies to Kilicdaroglu if he won the presidency, and the distribution of positions and the size of the coalition parties’ participation in governance.
The “Umma” coalition was also exposed to another challenge that has not yet been addressed, which is the candidacy of Muharram Ince, head of the opposition “kingdom” party, who is from outside the six-party alliance, but his candidacy was considered by leaders in the coalition as a distraction to the opposition’s voices.
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