Burhaniye Mayor Ali Kemal Deveciler resigns from CHP
Burhaniye Mayor Ali Kemal Deveciler has announced his resignation from the CHP, of which he has been a member for 43 years, adding that 15 municipal council members have also departed.
12punto
Burhaniye Mayor Ali Kemal Deveciler announced his resignation from the Republican People's Party (CHP) in a statement shared on his social media account. Deveciler reported that a total of 15 municipal council members have also left the CHP alongside him.
Describing the decision to leave the party he has been a member of for 43 years as "one of the most difficult and saddest decisions of his political life," it was noted that Deveciler will be joining a new party. In his statement, Deveciler emphasized that his decision does not mean turning his back on the founding values of the CHP or the individuals he has worked with in the past.
Recalling that he has held various positions under the CHP umbrella throughout his political career, Deveciler stated that he served as Burhaniye District Chair for 5 terms, Municipal Council Member for 1 term, High Disciplinary Board Member for 3 terms, and Party Congress Delegate 13 times. Deveciler also noted that he served as a Member of Parliament for Balıkesir between 2002 and 2007, as Deputy Treasurer General of the CHP from 2014 to 2018, and has been serving as the Mayor of Burhaniye for two terms since 2019.
In his statement, Deveciler expressed that he has been watching the process within the CHP with "sadness and concern," arguing that the "absolute nullity" process that emerged through judicial decisions was a severe intervention into the party's democratic will.
“I am not resigning from the principles of the Republican People's Party, its founding values, or my commitment to the Republic. The decision we have made today is not to abandon the values we believe in; it is to embark on a new path of struggle to defend those values more strongly.”
Stating that he will continue his struggle for democracy, law, justice, and the welfare of the people, Deveciler made reference to the will for change put forward by Özgür Özel. Expressing his belief that the CHP will one day "rise again through the will of its true owners," Deveciler thanked the people of Burhaniye and those who have supported him.