Felicity Party’s Oğuzhan Asiltürk dies at age 86
ANKARA
The high advisory board head of the Felicity (Saadet) Party, Oğuzhan Asiltürk, passed away at age 86 on Oct. 1 after being hospitalized for dyspnea due to pneumonia. He had been receiving treatment in Ankara since Sept. 13.
“I wish God’s mercy on our dear brother, Oğuzhan Asiltürk, one of the important names of our political history, chairman of the National Vision Foundation and Saadet Party High Advisory Board, whose death we heard of today,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tweeted.
“I wish God’s patience and grace to the honorable family of my brother Oğuzhan, and to the civil society and political community in Turkey and abroad. Thank you to our nation,” he added.
“Our high advisory board head, companion and man with a cause, Oğuzhan Asiltürk, has passed away. My condolences to our people and community,” Felicity Party leader Temel Karamollaoğlu tweeted.
Regarding the cause of the death of Asiltürk, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, “He was being followed recently with the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and blood deficiency... We lost him this morning at around 09:00 due to a heart attack.”
Asiltürk’s recent statements had erupted debate within the Felicity Party. As he had two meetings with Erdoğan, these talks were evaluated as possible cooperation with the People’s Alliance.
On June 15, Asiltürk made a call to the Felicity Party for a congress on social media. “The most important aspect that distinguishes the party of Milli Gorüş from other parties is that it prioritizes its commitment to moral and spiritual values,” he said.
“If we do not pay attention to this, in the words of our teacher Erbakan, we will first become like one of the other parties, and then we will disappear. We should not forget this: Those who will vote for us are not those who come to us to obtain material opportunities, but those who respect our faith. Hopefully, with the decisions we will take in the next congress, our Felicity Party will be able to defend the values in its foundation,” he stated.
Upon Asiltürk’s statements, party spokesperson Birol Aydın said the authorized boards and decision bodies of the party are clear, and how the congress decision will be taken is written in the statute.
In another statement on July 28, Asiltürk had said, “The success of a political party is only possible if it serves the truths it believes in.”
