'Whoever breaks the ranks of Table of Six will be trapped under it'

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Two political scientists bianet talked to on the announcement made today by İYİ Party President Meral Akşener that they are leaving the Table of Six, think that this is a mistake  Akşener is doing. 

Prof. Dr. Gülgün Erdoğan Tosun and Dr. Onur Alp Yılmaz both believe that Akşener is imposing herself.

Prof. Gülgün Erdoğan Tosun has been thinking, from the very start, that whoever breaks the ranks and splits the Table of Six will be trapped under it. Because that was a table of "hope" and "reconciliation." Unfortunately, the table has split now, she states. 

"She is accusing Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu of imposing himself. But is she not imposing something by always bringing up the mayors of the two metropolitan municipalities?" asks Gülgün Erdoğan who does not believe that it is a good idea to have one of the mayors of the two cities as a candidate. The reason is, she thinks, that the two are already being threatened, using the judiciary as a weapon with several lawsuits.

"It is clear that this step that Akşener has taken will not do any good for the opposition, or the country," she says and asks, "If Akşener comes closer to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) with this move, what will she tell her own supporters?"

"She is imposing herself"

Political scientist Onur Alp Yılmaz thinks that Meral Akşener made the first mistake by saying "I want to be the Prime Minister."

"She canalized a section of the society who continued to vote for CHP to her party and gave the message that she did not want to come to power. This was the first mistake," says Yılmaz.

The last move by Akşener is her second mistake, believes Yılmaz. She is not aiming at "coming to power" and she also said that Kılıçdaroğlu cannot come to power either. This was a big mistake.

Yılmaz reminded that Akşener was blaming Kılıçdaroğlu for thinking about his future and his party, and neglecting the future of the country. "However, this is what she has done now," he said, "The Table of Six was in favor of Kılıçdaroğlu's candidacy but with this last move, we saw that the ranks were broken. And it was Akşener who made it." (EMK/PE)