Bahadır Erdem speaks to 12punto.com.tr: Why did he resign? Will he join another party?

12punto.com.tr - Ercan KÜÇÜK

Prof. Dr. Bahadır Erdem has become the second figure in the wave of resignations from the İYİ Party that began with Durmuş Yılmaz. Erdem, who previously served as the İYİ Party's Chairman of Law and Justice Policies, explained his reasons for leaving and his future path to 12punto.

Prof. Dr. Bahadır Erdem, who resigned from the İYİ Party, answered questions from 12Punto. Emphasizing that his perspective has diverged from that of the İYİ Party, Erdem stated that he did not act in coordination with Durmuş Yılmaz, who resigned before him.

Erdem stated the following:

'I WAITED 6 MONTHS FOR UNITY'

"I no longer believe that I can be of any further use within the İYİ Party. I worked with great conviction. For 3 years, I truly wanted the opposition to win these elections, for there to be unity and solidarity, and because the opposition electorate found strength in this unity and solidarity. And considering the new system in Turkey, where the AK Party government bends and twists the law as it pleases, and if we look at where they are taking the country in a lawless manner—which people are now watching with great concern—and if we take the recent constitutional issue into account, seeing the Court of Cassation not recognize the Constitutional Court's decision and the President himself standing behind this, I worked very hard to change this, to change this order."

"But in the current situation after the elections, I do not believe I can be useful to the İYİ Party in terms of political understanding anymore. I will not be able to be useful to the party either. Therefore, I will not be able to be useful to the country. I see that my policies or my perspective have diverged from the perspective of the İYİ Party. That is why I am leaving as of now."

"I waited for this. This is not a resignation out of anger or anything like that. It has been 6 months since the elections. I waited for unity. But I no longer think it will happen."

'I CANNOT SAY ANYTHING FOR NOW'

After taking a deep breath, Erdem responded to our question, "Do you have any intention of joining another party?" as follows:

"Serving the nation is not just about politics. As a legal professional, I want to serve my homeland and my nation. It is too early to say anything about this today. But I will work at every opportunity to do my best for the homeland, the nation, the youth, and the law; so that this country may be a country of law, and that this country may truly be governed with justice and equality. Time will tell. I cannot say anything for now."

Regarding our question about whether he acted in coordination with Durmuş Yılmaz, who resigned before him, Erdem gave the following response:

"It is definitely not a joint movement. This is a process I have been thinking about for a long time and have actually been waiting for with patience. It is a process I waited for in order not to resign. We have no connection to Mr. Durmuş's resignation. He is a very respected statesman. He resigned by stating his reasons. But it is definitely not a coordinated movement."