18 more members resign from Erdoğan’s party

Amira al-Sharif

Eighteen members of the Women Committee of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party submitted their resignations in the eastern city of Van, in a new blow to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The resigned members said at a press briefing that they took the new move because of the pressure put on them by the head of the committee in the city.

They referred to what they described as arbitrary decisions taken by party officials in the eastern city.

The members added that they could not stand any additional pressures or violence, which was why they took the decision to walk out of the party.

This is the second wave of resignations to hit the Turkish ruling party this week. On Friday, 15 party members quit it, in protest against the position of the Turkish regime on a number of issues.

Those resigning included the head of the Women Committee in Kiziltepe, a district of the southeastern Mardin Province.

The 15 party members also said that they would join the Future Party which is headed by former Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, a Justice and Development Party defector himself.

Turkish media considered these repeated resignations as a sign of the continual weakening of the Turkish ruling party.

The party, it said, has been suffering defections and rifts for some time now. Those defecting from the party included former ministers who decided to break ranks with Erdoğan against the background of his wrong policies, the Turkish media said.

Rifts are also emerging within the Nationalist Movement Party which is allied to the Justice and Development Party.