Odul Sen Defects To Uzlaşma
Sen becomes the sole Uzlaşma member in the legislature.4 May 4774Odul Sen, the political outsider who challenged Eldemir Bal for the DA leadership, has now defected to the Uzlaşma party after a meeting with party
leader Orkide Onal. Sen said in his letter to the Democratic Alliance leadership that he could no longer support a party 'opposed to the secular and
egalitarian principles I support'. Sen had attempted to reform the DA's approach to secularism and LGBT rights in his bid to lead the party. He was
ultimately unable to triumph over the more socially conservative Bal, who had a great deal of support from the party's other established figures.
The former Democratic Alliance leadership contender brings the first sign of momentum behind the socially liberal Uzlaşma group that has been trying to
gain national attention for their alternative political stance. Sen has already authored a number of proposals, with input from Onal, to present to the
legislature. Though it is still very early days for the Uzlaşma movement, a seat at the table in the assembly is seen as a useful tool for attracting national
recognition.
Onal and Sen are hoping that they can win over younger voters and disenfranchised DA supporters in an effort to cause a hung parliament, in which they
may be able to demand concessions from a larger party. The party is currently polling at just 4%, but few polls have been conducted since Sen's
defection. Onal herself is expected to run for the presidency in an effort to force a runoff - in the hopes that it will demonstrate a decisive slice of the
population is unhappy with the two main parties.
Dokuz Haberler is a broadsheet newspaper published in Jakania in the country's three major languages, the paper aims to cover current affairs from a non-partisan perspective