New İYİ Party Head Announces Leadership Overhaul

Dervişoğlu opted to retain 18 members from the previous leadership tenure under Meral Akşener. Among the prominent figures in the revamped roster are Enver Yılmaz, who contested as the party's mayoral candidate in Ordu during the recent elections, and İzmir MP Ümit Özlale, who had previously resigned from the party.

The composition of the new cadre was finalized during an extraordinary congress convened in the capital Ankara on April 27. The selection process for members of the general administrative board and the central disciplinary board extended late into the night.

In the leadership election, Dervişoğlu secured 611 votes after a three-round contest. His closest competitor, Koray Aydın, the party's parliamentary head, amassed 548 votes. Meanwhile, Tolga Akalın, the deputy leader overseeing immigration policies, withdrew from the race before the second round of voting.

The transition in leadership follows Akşener's decision not to pursue reelection and the subsequent convening of an extraordinary congress in the wake of the electoral setback in local elections.

İYİ Party's electoral strategy underwent a shift following the defeat in last year's presidential election, diverging from its alliance with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in the March 31 elections, contrary to its stance in the 2019 polls.

The party's vote share plummeted from 7.3 percent to 3.77 percent, with its only success recorded in Nevşehir. The electoral setback triggered a wave of resignations within the party both before and after the polls.

Source: Hürriyet Daily News