Camping out

Political parties will hold their camps in the coming days and weeks. What’s on the agenda?

Political parties have raised the March 2019 local elections to the top of the list of their priorities. The key questions, debated by core teams formed at their party headquarters, include whether or not an alliance will be formed, how it will be formulated, how they will determine candidates for mayoral races and how to run their campaigns. The proposals that emerge will then be presented at party camps attended by various stakeholders, including MPs.

The CHP and MHP will hold their camps this month. The AK Party will hold theirs from October 5-7 in Kizilcahamam, a follow-up to the camp the party held after the June 24 elections where the results of all electoral districts were discussed one by one, the previous period was reviewed and studies related to the new period were evaluated. This time around, the focus will be on the roadmap for the March local elections.

The MHP will also hold its camp in Kizilcahamam a week before the AK Party gathering, from September 29-30, also focusing on the upcoming local elections. The AK Party gave the green light to MHP Leader Devlet Bahceli, who signaled he would be interested in an alliance for March 2019. A meeting with the party staff and the two leaders has not yet taken place but the details of the alliance will be on the table at this weekend’s camp.

The 27th Term Evaluation Meeting of the CHP Parliamentary Group will take place from September 28-30 in Abant, Bolu province, under the auspices of Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The main goal at this camp will be to determine candidates for the local elections but other issues will include how to organize the opposition and strengthen the parliament’s institutional functioning under the new presidential system once the new legislative year begins on October 1.