Two independent lawmakers to join CHP

Two independent lawmakers to join CHP

ANKARA
Two independent lawmakers to join CHP

Independent lawmakers Cemal Enginyurt and Salih Uzun will join the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Feb. 4.

"We could have continued as independents. However, if we were to join a party... we thought the CHP was the right choice," Uzun said in televised remarks on private broadcaster Halk TV on Feb. 2.

Their formal inclusion at the CHP’s weekly parliamentary meeting on Feb. 4 will increase the party’s number of seats in parliament to 133.

"A wave of lawlessness is clearly coming towards us," Uzun said. "We are faced with attempts to divide and fragment the opposition. We should develop a stance against this."

His comments came as Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and several CHP-run municipalities face legal scrutiny.

İmamoğlu appeared at Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse last week in connection with two investigations. The first stems from his Jan. 20 remarks criticizing Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor Akın Gürlek over legal action against CHP youth branch leader Cem Aydın.

The second involves his Jan. 27 comments alleging a court expert, Satılmış Büyükcanayakın, filed fraudulent reports in probes into CHP-led municipalities. Prosecutors said İmamoğlu’s statements sought to influence legal proceedings.

Enginyurt and Uzun resigned from the Democrat Party (DP) on Nov. 18. They were previously nominated as candidates from the CHP’s lists in the 2023 elections as part of a six-way opposition alliance.