Main opposition CHP appoints deputy leader Tezcan as new spokesman

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chair Bülent Tezcan has been appointed as the party’s new spokesperson, filling a position left vacant after former spokesperson Selin Sayek Böke resigned.

Tezcan gave his first press conference as spokesperson on May 10 after the party’s Central Executive Board meeting. 

Böke had resigned from the post on May 6, criticizing the party management for not responding effectively to the post-referendum situation. 

“As a politician who believes in the universal principles of social democracy and thinks the road for Turkey to reach a free democracy is through these principles, I cannot find it appropriate to be a member of the party’s existing management,” she said. 

Despite rumors before the meeting, the CHP’s administration was not revised further, apart from Tezcan. 

CHP conveys concerns over hunger strike to gov’t 

In the press conference, Tezcan urged the government to take action about two suspended educators, Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, who have been on hunger strike for 63 days. 

“The families wants to speak with government officials, they demand an appointment. They cannot get the appointment where they only want to convey their concerns about their children, who have put their lives on hold in order to express their troubles,” Tezcan said.

Gülmen and Özakça were suspended from their university positions with state of emergency decrees and subsequently went on hunger strike in order to demand their reinstatement.  

Tezcan said CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has informed Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş about the issue. 

“He [Kılıçdaroğlu] had conveyed [the subject] to Mr. Binali Yıldırım, conveying the educators’ demand for an appointment,” he added.