Turkey’s former Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan announced on Wednesday the launch of his new political party, the Democracy and Progress Party, also known as DEVA, which translates as “cure” or “remedy."
Babacan vowed that his party would try to bring parliamentary democracy back to Turkey.
“We will not let these sorrows get bigger. It’s not the time to lose hope. It’s time to take responsibility for Turkey. It’s time for democracy and progress for Turkey. If you are looking for commiseration, we are the remedy,” he said.
Babacan announced his resignation from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) on July 8, 2019, citing “differences” with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He also revealed a list of 90 founding members of his new party ahead of its establishment in Ankara on Wednesday. The list included former AKP ministers Sadullah Ergin and Nihat Ergün.
Also, Mustafa Yeneroğlu, a member of parliament who became independent after resigning from the AKP, is among the members.
“Politics for us is freedom for all, especially women, and a good education for our children. It is to provide social justice and build pluralistic democracy, based on the separation of powers and the superiority of law,” he affirmed.
Intellect and cultural diversity in the country enriches the Turkish people, he stressed, highlighting the freedom of religion and that the party will not mix religion with politics.
DEVA is open to dialogue with all opposition parties and the civil community organizations, he continued.
Babacan said that the party leadership has been limited to 10 years at most. The representation inside the party will be 35 percent for women, 20 percent for men with 1 percent for physically challenged people.
Babacan has been in Erdogan’s governments at the time when the Turkish economy grew three folds following the financial crisis in 2001. A great number of Turks pin high hopes on his return to the politics to rescue the country from the deteriorating economic situation.
