Mayor of Hatay on Syrian border leaves ruling AKP for main opposition CHP

ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) today accepted Lütfü Savaş, the incumbent mayor of the Hatay province on the Syrian border, into its ranks. 

Savaş, who recently resigned from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), is expected to be nominated for the same post against the AKP’s nominated candidate, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin.

The Central Executive Committee (MYK) of the CHP took the decision to accept Savaş’s membership today, and his candidacy will be approved at the party assembly meeting on Dec. 21, daily Radikal reported on its website.

The MYK was also today expected to decide on the membership application of Mansur Yavaş, who ran for the Ankara mayoral post as a Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) candidate in the 2009 local elections.
However, the meeting agenda was dominated by the recent operation against bribery and fraud allegations, so the committee will instead decide on Yavaş’s membership this weekend, Radikal reported.