Turkish Mp Resigns From Party He Founded

Turkish MP Idris Bal announced Tuesday his resignation from the Democratic Development Party, or DGP, that he founded in November 2014, citing as reasons "serious alienation and media censorship."



"Today I resign from the party I founded. I no longer want to be in a party that was reduced to a name," Bal said in a press conference at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara.



Bal said that the last straw was the censorship he was subjected to by the media, which he said was "unacceptable."



"We have not appeared on (television networks) STV or Bugun for the past month and a half. Same with dailies, with a few exceptions. What am I fighting for? I give up," he said.



Bal also said that since the creation of his party, he had been isolated under the pressure of "people who entered into an alliance to alienate him." He did not go into specifics. 



Idris Bal, a deputy from the western central province of Kutahya, founded the DGP in November 2014, after having resigned from the ruling Justice and Development Party in November 2013.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ankara