Good Party MP Karakaş Defects to AKP; Deletes Post on Öcalan From Five Days Earlier

Good Party Aydın Deputy Ömer Karakaş formally completed his party switch yesterday when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pinned a badge on him at the AKP's 25th founding anniversary event held at the Capital People's Garden in Ankara. Immediately after his resignation, Karakaş removed his Good Party deputy profile information and cover photo from his social media account.

A striking detail: a post that had been pinned to Karakaş's account and contained phrases calling Abdullah Öcalan a 'baby killer scoundrel' was also removed following the defection. Karakaş had posted this content just five days earlier, voicing it during his speech in the August 10 session of the Grand National Assembly: 'You are trying to create a dove of peace from a baby killer scoundrel.'

On August 10, 563 deputies participated in the 'framework law' vote; the results were 467 in favor, 87 against, and 7 abstentions. While all AKP deputies voted 'yes', records show that Karakaş voted 'no' in the same vote, as did Gaziantep Deputy Mehmet Mustafa Gübran, who joined AKP ranks alongside Karakaş that same day.

Karakaş's defection is viewed as the second fracture the Good Party has experienced ahead of its party congress; the party has not yet issued an official statement regarding this defection.