Resignation in DEVA Party

DEVA Party Secretary General Sanem Oktar announced today that she has resigned from her party.

"A UNIQUE MODEL WAS TO BE APPLIED TO TURKEY AND OUR PROBLEMS WOULD DECREASE, THAT IS WHAT WE HAD HOPED"

In a statement on her X account, Oktar noted the following:

"I would like to share with the public that I have left the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), of which I was one of the founders upon the invitation of Mr. Ali Babacan in December 2019. I would like to thank Mr. Ali Babacan, all the founders and members, my teammates, and everyone whose path crossed with the DEVA Party, whether they are still in the party or not, who contributed to the goal of crowning our Republic with democracy during this four-year period.

I come from the business world and the women's movement. I had three primary reasons for entering politics. First; the Presidential Government System had to change. The right thing was for Turkey to be governed by parliament. Second; Turkey needed to be able to establish its own libertarian, transparent, and participatory system. We could only defend our democracy and our Republic by engaging in politics against the disproportionately increasing weight of the executive branch in the face of the judiciary and the legislature.

The third is about women. We are half of society, but we do not have equal access to opportunities. We still experience numerous problems in daily life, especially violence. It was about women being effectively represented and taking part in politics, business life, and every area of society.

During this process, I worked with all my heart and with great hope, together with all my friends, both in the formation of the DEVA Party's policies regarding the country's problems and in the coming together of the Table of Six, working together, and creating and explaining policies for the governance of the country. To those who asked me what I was doing, I said, 'I am an ant that set out to put out the fire, I am carrying a drop of water.'

If the Nation Alliance had been the winner in the May 14 elections, a unique model would have been applied to Turkey and our problems would have decreased, that is what we had hoped. But it did not happen. My reasons for entering politics still remain valid, but what I witnessed at the end of four years disappointed me. This was not the DEVA Party of my dreams. I saw that to walk on a path, one must first be a comrade. I realized that the efforts I made to fix things were also insufficient.

"I HAVE TAKEN THIS DECISION TO LEAVE, WHICH IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME"

I have taken this decision to leave, which is very difficult for me, because I believe that it is right to open space for our friends who feel more excitement for change and for young people, and that a change of blood is necessary. I wish success to all my opposition friends who are fighting for our Republic to fully attain the character of a democratic, secular, and social state of law, to the brave members of the press working in an environment where freedom of expression and the press are struggling for life, to valuable thinkers, and to all DEVA Party volunteers. With my best wishes for the DEVA Party..."