A new CHP?

Turkey’s main opposition party looks set to transform itself at its Constitutional Congress

On March 9 and 10, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) will hold a constitutional congress, a month after its 36th Ordinary General Assembly. The changes to the party’s constitution are expected to reflect the new conditions under the presidential system and the new alliance Law. Amendment proposals will allow natural or open alliances during the 2019 elections, based on the opinions of provincial organizations, members of the parliament and members of the Party Assembly and will create mobility within the party. CHP Yalova deputy, Muharrem Ince, who brought forward the constitutional amendments before the ordinary general assembly held in February, suggests that candidates for the presidency and parliament should be elected with the participation of all registered members of the CHP and with a preliminary election under the supervision of a judge. In addition, he asks for a regulation that will require the party chairman to resign if he cannot lead the CHP to victory in two consecutive general elections.

A group of CHP deputies led by Selin Sayek Boke and Ilhan Cihaner have also proposed amendments. They want the ‘block list’ rule, which is adopted with an absolute majority vote at the elections of the party organs, to be removed from the party constitution completely and to increase the number of the party council members for justice. Other proposals include the limitation of the right of the chairman to exercise the power of the Party Assembly, the approval of the Central Executive Board at the party assembly and the further reduction of the quota appointment of deputies. CHP Manisa deputy Tur Yildiz Bicer has proposed a 50 percent quota for women and five percent for handicapped people. The most controversial issue at the congress is expected to be how to determine the presidential candidate.

MHP Cha rman Bahcel announces h s cand dacy

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahceli announced last week that he will be a candidate for the general presidency by gathering Central Executive Board members before the MHP congress to be held on March 18. Meanwhile, the MHP announced the March 18 Congress with newspaper advertisements. At a closed-door meeting, Bahceli once again referred to the alliance with the ruling AK Party, stating that it was not a frontier, and that they came together for national survival.

HDP’s number of deput es falls to 50

HDP Group President Ahmet Yildirim and Urfa deputy Ibrahim Ayhan’s deputyship were dropped because of their imprisonment. In addition to Yildirim and Ayhan, Figen Yuksekdag, Nursel Aydogan, Besime Konca and Ferhat Encu, have been dropped on the grounds of their pending sentencing while Faysal Sariyildiz, Tugba Hezer Ozturk and Leyla Zana’s were also eliminated due to “absenteeism.” With Yildirim and Ayhan the number of dropped HDP deputies rose to 9, reducing the number of HDP deputies, which was 59 after the November 1 elections, to 50.