Former presidential candidate İnce resigns from CHP

ANKARA

Muharrem İnce, a veteran politician from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) who ran for presidency in 2018 but lost against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has resigned from his party and vowed to form his own political party after a long-term conflict with CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

İnce, who formed what he called the “Homeland Movement” in mid-2020 and travelled across the country, announced his decision to formally part ways with the CHP at a press conference he held on Feb. 8 in Ankara.

“I will submit my resignation through e-devlet [online state registry system] right away. I will send a detailed explanation of my decision to the party headquarters out of respect for 42 years of my membership,” he said.

“We are introducing a third option for those who have been squeezed by the polarization created by the government and the opposition. It’s time to get rid of both this government and the opposition,” he said.

His objective is not to divide the opposition votes, but creating an option for the CHP voters who have long been involuntarily voting for the social democrats, İnce stressed. “Our objective is to get 50 percent +1 votes” required to be elected as the president, he said.

İnce said the works for the establishment of the party are underway and he will be able to hold his next press conference at the new headquarters but did not tell what the name of the party would be.

He also vowed that three CHP lawmakers who have recently resigned from the party will join his party when founded. “I can tell you that our party will have the largest parliamentary group after the İYİ [Good] Party,” he said, hinting there would be more defectors from the social democrat party.

CHP spokesperson blames İnce for talking from same mouth of ruling party

The main opposition party is in the same position today compared to when the dissident lawmaker Muharrem İnce ran for the presidency in 2018 presidential elections, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Spokesperson Faik Öztrak said on Feb. 8 while elaborating the resignation of İnce.

Öztrak also criticized the dissidents of the CHP for talking in the same language as the People’s Alliance of the ruling party.

“CHP is an age-old sycamore. We do not find the statements of those, who claim to be the real children of that party, that left [the party] accusing the CHP in the same language of the People’s Alliance to be rightful,” Öztrak said at a press conference.

“CHP was established during the War of Independence. The CHP is almost in the same place now as it was in 1919, in 1923, and when the presidential candidate [İnce] of the CHP made that announcement,” he stated.

Öztrak said he is not informed if the resignation of İnce reached the party headquarters but noted that verbal declaration was essential in resignation.