CHP leader highlights democracy for his decision to run internal elections

ANKARA

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The leader of Turkey’s main social democratic party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, has said he has decided to run internal elections in his party before finalizing his candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary elections in order to highlight the meaning of democracy, in a rare move in Turkish politics.

“I hope my decision to run for internal elections will set an example for all of Turkey to emphasize the meaning of democracy at a moment when it has been losing its meaning,” said Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of Republican People’s Party (CHP), on his Twitter account. Kılıçdaroğlu will run in İzmir, one of the strongholds of the CHP.

Political party leaders and senior leaders do not race within their parties to become parliamentary candidates as they are generally nominated from their party’s strongholds. The CHP is conducting internal elections in around half of the country’s constituencies before finalizing the candidate lists.