Stating that he joined the Turkish ruling AK Party with great hopes, Sukur noted that he would continue his political career as an independent deputy.
Hakan Sukur's resignation came after the recent tension between the Turkish AK Party government and neo-Islamist Gulen Movement.
In a written statement released by Sukur, he said that he has been a member of Gulen Movement for over 20 years and the movement, particularly in a referendum, has supported the government to a significant extent but he could not get along with the hostile attitude of the AK Party towards the Gulen Movement. Sukur underlined that the main cause behind his resignation was the government's attitude towards the Gulen Movement.
Seat numbers in Turkish Parliament following Sukur's resignation are as follows:
AK Party : 325
Republican People's Party : 134
Nationalist Movement Party : 52
Peace and Democracy Party : 26
Independents : 7
People's Democracy Party : 4
Total : 548
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