CHP leader promises aid to Gaza

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has declared that his party's mayors are gearing up to deliver aid to Gaza in a bid to support the Palestinians in the region.

"We will provide all kinds of assistance to the Palestinians living in Gaza, our mayors should be ready," Kılıçdaroğlu said during his party's group meeting on Oct. 31.

The CHP leader outlined the party's plan to coordinate aid efforts through communication with the Palestinian and Egyptian embassies in Türkiye.

Kılıçdaroğlu criticized the government's response to the crisis, particularly referencing a pro-Palestine rally held by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) on Oct. 28. He deemed the rally inadequate in addressing the gravity of the situation.

"Blood is flowing in Palestine... The gentleman [President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] is holding a rally. You are the government, not the opposition. What are you doing at the rally?" Kılıçdaroğlu questioned. He also called out Erdoğan for his "unfulfilled promise to visit Gaza."

"We do not want the people right at our doorstep to fight. The peace there will also reflect on us. Every drop of blood shed there is our blood," he stated.

Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu also commemorated the Turkish Republic's centenary over the weekend, expressing his vision for a liberal and just republic that "sets an example for oppressed nations through its foreign policy."

He highlighted CHP's centennial celebrations, which he says reached 10 million citizens through concerts organized by its municipalities. "Our celebrations will continue throughout the year," he said.

This group meeting marked the last before the CHP's upcoming main congress scheduled for this weekend. Kılıçdaroğlu said the two-day congress would be "peaceful and festive."

The CHP leader and his administration have faced criticism after the loss in the presidential election earlier this year.

Should Kılıçdaroğlu decide to run for another term, he will face a challenge from Özgür Özel, the party's parliamentary leader.

Notably, in a recent election for the CHP's new Istanbul administration, Özgür Çelik, supported by a faction aligned with Özel, emerged victorious over his opponent, Cemal Canpolat, considered the candidate of the current party administration, according to reports.

The event also saw the selection of 196 delegates from Istanbul for the forthcoming ordinary main congress early next month.

The main congress will involve a total of 1,370 delegates from various provinces across Türkiye casting their votes to elect the party's administration. Key provincial polls in the capital Ankara, with 72 delegates, and İzmir, with 56 delegates, are also anticipated to play pivotal roles in the main congress.