Agreement in the CHP

İklim Öngel

The prospect of a leadership contest in the CHP between General Chair Kemal Kılıçaroğlu and presidential candidate Muharrem İnce is arousing curiosity. Kılıçaroğlu has shut the door on calls for resignation and an extraordinary congress and given a message of unity in laying the stress on focusing on the local elections instead of in-party squabbling. With reference to İnce, Kılıçdaroğlu said, “Let everyone know. Muharrem İnce is an asset of ours and we embrace him until the end.” The bustle at CHP Headquarters has not died down since the day of the election on 24 June. With İnce expected to make an announcement on the night of the election, he made a public appearance one day later and Kılıçaroğlu held a press conference after İnce. With Kılıçdaroğlu making no mention of İnce in his address, he noted in response to a question, “He got a lower vote than expected” and stated that, as opposed to İnce, he would not congratulate Erdoğan. Conversely, party people and İnce supporters were invited to stage a sit-down action in front of headquarters in a call dubbed “At the CHP at 20 hours.” Having congregated the night before last, the group consisting of 150 people ended their action yesterday morning. One notable development was the declaration by Elazığ MP Gürsel Erol that he would also stage a sit-down action, which he subsequently abandoned. Erol stated that he would not hold this action in the statement he made following the announcement that the Party Assembly would convene with discipline on the agenda. Erol’s abandonment of his action was interpreted in the lobbies as being motivated by the fear of expulsion.

“Support from the organisations”

With İnce supporters ending their action in front of the party following 24 hours, party organisations that set out from Istanbul and Izmir yesterday morning to support Kılıçdaroğlu arrived at headquarters. Some 250 party members greeted Kılıçdaroğlu at the entrance to headquarters with the slogans, “Rights, law, justice” and “Hope of the people Kılıçdaroğlu.” Kılıçdaroğlu made his entrance to headquarters from the front door greeting the party members who had come to support him. Kılıçdaroğlu told party members, “You took the trouble to come and we owe you all a debt of gratitude.” With Kılıçdaroğlu noticeably more relaxed than when making his first announcement, this time he used the words, “My friend Muharrem İnce.” With reference to İnce’s intention to visit 81 provinces, he instructed provincial chairs, “You will greet him when he comes, you will introduce him to the people and you will do what is called for.” Kılıçdaroğlu said, “Muharrem İnce is an asset of ours and we embrace him until the end.” Making his second public appearance since the election, Kılıçdaroğlu said that he would continue along with all his friends to tread the path in which they believed. Kılıçdaroğlu said, “I never contemplate any such thing as alienating any one of our friends, thinking differently and thinking outside the party, nor do I have any such belief. We will embrace everyone, the 81 million.” Indicating that provincial chairs who wished to come to him had phoned him, Kılıçdaroğlu said he had told them, “Let absolutely none of our friends come. We are continuing our normal work. The local elections are before us and we will continue on our path with exceptional preparation for those elections. We will continue with decisiveness. We have demolished part of the wall. We will demolish the wall entirely in the coming elections.”

“We will exclude nobody”

Saying the CHP would embark on serious preparations for the upcoming elections, Kılıçdaroğlu noted that work on this would be done in cooperation. Kılıçdaroğlu said, “We will put our hearts into endeavouring to our utmost to bring democracy in its true sense to Turkey. These elections are not normal elections. They are not old classical elections. We will continue on our path within a new system, within a new regime within a new understanding of elections. This is why I said we would exclude nobody.”

“We have made the headlines in the pool media”

Pointing to news in the pool media about himself and the CHP, Kılıçdaroğlu said, “We have made the headlines in the pool media. Can there be anything more wonderful than this? For the entire duration of the election, they did not carry a single sentence of the things we said. However, we are in the headlines today. I am beside myself with joy. This means that the work we are doing is correct. If we make headlines in the pool media, the work we are doing is correct.”

Party Assembly convenes over discipline

Following the 24 June elections, the CHP Party Assembly is convening extraordinarily at headquarters today chaired by General Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The sole item on the agenda is “discipline.” In the wake of the 24 June elections, some former and current MPs and Party Assembly members have called on Kılıçdaroğlu and party management to resign. For his part, Gürsel Erol, who had been elected as an MP for Elazığ for the first time following 41 years, said in a post he made the day before yesterday that he would start a sit-down action in front of headquarters. It was announced yesterday evening by headquarters that Party Assembly members would convene with discipline on the agenda. The names expected to come onto the agenda at the Party Assembly are the MPs who have made resignation calls and current Party Assembly members Erdal Aksünger, Necati Savaş and Eren Erdem. As to Gürsel Erol who made an appeal for a sit-down which he subsequently abandoned, it is unknown what decision will be made about him. From what has been gleaned, it is said that calls simply for resignation cannot be deemed disciplinary offences, but appealing for a sit down is a disciplinary offence.

“You will hear nothing about a congress from me”

Former general chairs Murat Karayalçın and Altan Öymen visited the CHP’s presidential candidate Muharrem İnce. Following Kılıçdaroğlu’s message of unity, İnce’s comment with reference to calls for a congress, “If you hear something like ‘congress’ from my lips, then we will talk about it, but you will not be able to” reduced tension in the party. Former CHP general chairs Karayalçın and Öymen visited first İnce and then Kılıçdaroğlu after the 24 June elections.

“I am still a CHP member”

Following the visit they made to İnce’s office situated in Hoşdere, İnce was reminded of Kılıçdaroğlu’s words, “Muharrem İnce is an asset of ours and we will stand by him. He has announced that he will visit 81 provinces. All of our organisations will give support. We are excluding nobody” and asked for his assessment. İnce responded, “I did not watch it but he spoke correctly. I am still a CHP member.” To the question, “There are calls for the General Chair to resign in the party. What is your thought? Is change through an extraordinary congress needed?” İnce replied, “Not even a single person should resign from the party. Everyone should stay in their places. If you hear something like ‘congress’ from my lips, then we will talk about it, but you will not be able to.” Asked when he would meet Kılıçdaroğlu, İnce said, “We meet all the time.”

“There will be no problem”

Following İnce, Karayalçın and Öymen visted General Chair Kılıçdaroğlu at his headquarters office. Following the one hour and twenty minute meeting the trio held, Karayalçın said, “This is a courtesy, solidarity and stocktaking visit. There was a chat in which proposals were put forward. And I think it was very useful.” With reference to discussion about an extraordinary congress, Karayalçın said, “İnce is an asset of ours. He waged a successful campaign. We were all at his side. Our General Chair was also positively disposed towards İnce’s travel plans. I am of the view that there is no problem, no problem will be created or experienced. Nobody should harbour any such expectation. The CHP will embark on the local elections in unity.” Following Kılıçdaroğlu, Öymen and Karayalçın visited Deniz Baykal, who continues to be treated in hospital.

Baykal will oversee the swearing-in ceremony

It has been learnt that the CHP’s Deniz Baykal, who had indicated that due to his indisposition he would be unable to undertake his parliamentary opening and temporary parliamentary speaker duties, has abandoned his decision and stated that he will be in the general assembly on 8 July. Following the election, there had been curiosity as to who would undertake the duty of temporary parliamentary speaker by way of oldest member. With Baykal indisposed, it had been expected that the next oldest member after him, the Good Party’s Durmuş Yılmaz, would perform this duty. Baykal, who had written to the parliamentary speaker’s office and requested to be excused citing his indisposition, abandoned his decision at the last moment and indicated that he would undertake his duty as temporary speaker. Parliamentary management, for its part, will ensure that suitable conditions are in place to enable Baykal, who is unable to stand for long, to perform his duty. There is talk of Baykal being unable to remain at the dispatch box for the duration of the entire swearing-in ceremony and of the possibility of his duty being transferred to Durmuş Yılmaz after having been sworn in.

CHP’de uzlaşma