12 CHP District Mayors and Executives Resign in Balıkesir, Join NEW Party

In Balıkesir, Turkey, a significant political shift has occurred as 12 district mayors and provincial and district executives from the Republican People's Party (CHP) have resigned. They announced their move to the newly formed NEW Party, signaling a major shake-up within the opposition.

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Today, the oppressive practices of the one-man regime in our country, the severe damage to judicial independence, the removal of elected mayors and the appointment of trustees in their place, the judicial pressures on everyone considered a dissident, the ever-narrowing press and expression freedom, the suspension of democracy, the injustices that have become permanent, and the climate of fear created have made our citizens hopeless about their futures.

Provincial Chairman Erden Köybaşı, speaking at a press conference, detailed the reasons behind their collective resignation. He cited the "oppressive practices of the one-man regime," the severe damage to judicial independence, the appointment of trustees to elected mayoral positions, and the increasing pressure on dissenting voices. Köybaşı also pointed to the shrinking space for press and expression, the suspension of democracy, and a climate of fear and injustice as key factors driving their decision. Furthermore, he highlighted the influence of religious community structures within state institutions, an "unprincipled and lost" foreign policy, and a deep economic crisis that has led to poverty and despair among citizens.

Köybaşı framed their departure as a historical necessity to present a "strong, reliable, determined, and inclusive political option" to the public. He invoked Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's words from the "Address to the Youth," emphasizing the primary duty to "preserve and defend Turkish independence and the Turkish Republic forever." According to Köybaşı, defending the Republic today requires taking responsibility, forging new paths, protecting the will of the people, and ensuring citizens are not left without choices.

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One of my two great works is 'The Republic and the Republican People's Party,' Gazi Mustafa Kemal gave us an unquestionable duty in the Address to the Youth: 'Your first duty is to preserve and defend Turkish independence and the Turkish Republic forever.' The essential and first duty is to defend the Republic. We see the step we are taking today as a requirement of this historical duty and responsibility.

The group also referenced a recent court decision regarding the CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress, which they believe has created internal turmoil. They stated their intention to open a "new political path" based on the Republic's core values, Atatürk's principles and revolutions, secularism, democracy, the rule of law, full independence, social justice, gender equality, free thought, meritocracy, and the people's will. They aim to offer hope to a public whose aspirations have been threatened, asserting that their move is a commitment to safeguarding the Republic's founding values and popular identity.

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To put a stop to this course, to be the hope of the citizen, and to protect the Republic, to which Mustafa Kemal entrusted the duty of protection, has become a necessity. With this understanding; we are opening a NEW political path based on the fundamental values of the Republic, Atatürk's principles and revolutions, secularism, democracy, the rule of law, full independence, social justice, gender equality, free thought, meritocracy, and the will of the people.