The Felicity Party (SP) has reached the necessary majority to form a group in the Parliament once again after Kütahya lawmaker Ali Fazıl Kasap, who quit the Republican People's Party's (CHP), joined the SP.
The SP’s number of seats in the Parliament decreased to 19 when Hasan Bitmez, a Turkish lawmaker who suffered a heart attack at the Parliament last week, passed away on Thursday.
A minimum of 20 seats is necessary to form a parliamentary group.
Bitmez, who represented the Kocaeli province for SP, collapsed as he finished his speech at a live broadcast session of the Parliament.
Meanwhile, Kasap resigned from his party on Saturday and joined the SP. With Kasap's participation, the number of deputies of the SP reached 20.
“Our Kütahya lawmaker Ali Fazıl Kasap has quit the CHP and joined the Felicity Party on the condition that this situation will be limited to the budget talks in order for the opposition’s voice in the parliament not to be restricted and the realities undergone by the people to be voiced openly at the parliament’s platform,” CHP Group Deputy Chairperson Gökhan Günaydın said in the Parliament on Saturday.
He said further he expects all political parties to support this stance.
Moreover, CHP Chairperson Özgür Özel said that it would be a shame for democracy if the SP becomes unable to speak its word.
“It would be disrespectful to Hasan Bitmez's memory, especially considering his efforts to speak his word at the platform until his last breath.”
"The CHP defends the right to speak at the platform, the right to opposition. After the budget negotiations, there will definitely be various participations to the Felicity Party. Until this is achieved, I have instructed one of our members of Parliament to serve in the Felicity Party group so that they do not lose their right to the platform during the budget negotiations,” he added.
SP Chairperson Temel Karamollaoğlu thanked Özel and the CHP for their support on social media.
