CHP provincial leaders reject calls for congress

ANKARA

Provincial chairs of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) have dismissed internal demands to hold an extraordinary congress.

"At a time when the footsteps of the Republican People’s Party government are being heard, we declare that the call for a congress is not on our agenda and that we will not give credence to efforts to create an artificial agenda for personal gain," read a joint statement released on Nov. 11.

The remarks followed internal opposition to party administration and calls for a leadership change through an extraordinary congress.

"We will not put any issue that is not on the agenda on the street and does not serve our march to power on the agenda within the party or on social media," the declaration said. "We believe and trust in the CHP organizations and its chairman Mr. Özgür Özel."

CHP leaders said the party’s primary focus remains fixed on early election demands and preparations.

"We will not give up on the demand for an early election until the ballot box is before the people," they added.

The CHP voted on Nov. 4, 2023, to replace longtime leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu with Özel. The leadership change followed the former's defeat to incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the presidential election last year.

In a tightly contested congress in Ankara, Özel, a former pharmacist, won in the second round of voting, with the process extending into the early hours of the following day.