Uzun, who left DP for CHP, explains the reason for his choice: 'On principle'
Democrat Party (DP) İzmir MP Salih Uzun and Istanbul MP Cemal Enginyurt have resigned from the party and joined the Republican People's Party (CHP). In a live broadcast, Uzun explained the reason for joining the CHP.
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MP Salih Uzun, who resigned from the Democrat Party to join the CHP, made significant statements on Ekol TV. In his remarks, Salih Uzun emphasized the struggle he has waged to strengthen center-right politics in Turkey.
İzmir MP Salih Uzun stated, “I have spent my entire political life in the center-right political line. I started in the youth branches of the Motherland Party (ANAP) and held all positions up to the General Presidency of the Motherland Party.
I spent my political life there. Later, I was involved in the project to merge the Motherland Party and the True Path Party under the umbrella of the Democrat Party.
Even then, without hesitation, I took part in the effort to integrate the center-right, thinking that such an integration was necessary, without considering my own political career planning,” he said.
“WE ARE NOT JUST SWITCHING TO CHP NOW"
Continuing his remarks, Salih Uzun said, “In the May 2023 elections, I was elected as an MP from the DP quota but on the CHP lists. We must discuss this issue without overlooking the fact that we were elected from the CHP lists. We are not just being elected from the DP and now switching to the CHP,” he said.
“I EXERTED A LOT OF EFFORT"
Uzun continued his words by saying, “During this process in the DP, after being elected, I exerted a lot of effort as an MP to strengthen the center-right there and to ensure that politics in Turkey finds its balance, whether we call it the middle path, reasonable politics, center-right politics, or the democratic center. However, at the point we reached, we had disagreements while practicing politics in the DP, and we resigned from the Democrat Party.”
EXPLAINED THE REASON FOR THEIR CHOICE OF CHP
Uzun said, “After resigning, we determined a principled stance; Cemal Enginyurt is also in such a principled stance. Let us continue our political life as independent MPs. If there is to be a party affiliation, the most correct path would be to join the CHP, from whose lists we were elected. We thought it would be correct on principle to return the votes we received from CHP voters to the CHP.”