Turkey: Main opposition party wary of leadership debate

By Mehmet Tosun
Tut

ANKARA

A spokesman for Turkey's main opposition party on Wednesday called for an end to a prolonged debate whether or not to hold an emergency congress that would give disgruntled party members the venue to challenge the current leadership.

"Keeping this debate alive has no use but to hurt the party," Republican People's Party (CHP) spokesman Bulent Tezcan told reporters following a meeting of the Central Executive Board chaired by CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

Dissidents at the CHP have failed to garner the support they need to hold an extraordinary congress of the party to challenge the leadership of Kilicdaroglu.

If it were held, the "Change and Hope Congress" was expected to discuss the replacement of Kilicdaroglu by none other than the party’s former presidential candidate, Muharrem Ince.

The move comes after opposition figures in the party called for an emergency congress following the party's defeat in the June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Tezcan said it was not possible to hold a convention unless 622 party delegates called for one.

To the dismay of the dissidents, only 569 of the delegates out of an overall 1,242 petitioned for an emergency convention.

Tezcan also said Kilicdaroglu had already expressed his opposition to holding a convention, but prepare the party for the upcoming local elections.