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More resignations from Turkey's ruling party predicted
February 1, 2014 - 12:13 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - One more lawmaker resigned from the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP) on Friday, Jan 31, in the aftermath of the
massive graft probe that has gripped the country since mid-December,
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Istanbul MP Muhammed Çetin officially resigned over the party's
decision to dispatch him to the disciplinary board with a demand of
expulsion two weeks ago.
With Çetin's resignation, the number of lawmakers who have stepped
down from the AKP since the graft scandal broke rises to six, and to
eight since the test prep school (dershanes) row erupted, in a wave of
defections unprecedented in the party's history.
The government's move to shut down the test prep schools caused a huge
rift between the AKP and the movement of the Islamic scholar Fethullah
Gülen, which further swelled after the government accused the movement
of orchestrating the graft probes.
Çetin, who was among the small group of AKP deputies who criticized
the government's position on the test prep schools (dershanes) row, is
also known to be close to Gülen's movement.
He claimed that more resignations from the AKP would follow. "I don't
have any contact with anyone, but I know there is [disquiet] inside
[the party]. Many people are disturbed. People are talking, and soon
those people will quit one-by-one," Çetin said. He also claimed that
some deputies complained that they could not "face their electors"
anymore.
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/175441/
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/fresh-resignation-in-turkeys-ruling-akp-over-graft-scandal-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=61825&NewsCatID=338
February 1, 2014 - 12:13 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - One more lawmaker resigned from the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP) on Friday, Jan 31, in the aftermath of the
massive graft probe that has gripped the country since mid-December,
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Istanbul MP Muhammed Çetin officially resigned over the party's
decision to dispatch him to the disciplinary board with a demand of
expulsion two weeks ago.
With Çetin's resignation, the number of lawmakers who have stepped
down from the AKP since the graft scandal broke rises to six, and to
eight since the test prep school (dershanes) row erupted, in a wave of
defections unprecedented in the party's history.
The government's move to shut down the test prep schools caused a huge
rift between the AKP and the movement of the Islamic scholar Fethullah
Gülen, which further swelled after the government accused the movement
of orchestrating the graft probes.
Çetin, who was among the small group of AKP deputies who criticized
the government's position on the test prep schools (dershanes) row, is
also known to be close to Gülen's movement.
He claimed that more resignations from the AKP would follow. "I don't
have any contact with anyone, but I know there is [disquiet] inside
[the party]. Many people are disturbed. People are talking, and soon
those people will quit one-by-one," Çetin said. He also claimed that
some deputies complained that they could not "face their electors"
anymore.
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/175441/
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/fresh-resignation-in-turkeys-ruling-akp-over-graft-scandal-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=61825&NewsCatID=338