Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will be challenged by two contenders, Yalova deputy Muharrem İnce and former Istanbul Bar Head Ümit Kocasakal, during the party’s 36th Ordinary Convention scheduled to take place on Feb. 3 and 4.
At the convention, delegates will select the party’s new cadres including the Party Assembly.
“I hope our convention will take place in a calm manner. There are some candidates for the leadership but this process will be clarified tomorrow [on Feb. 3]. There could be some provocative acts to discredit our convention but we will never allow it,” CHP Deputy Chair Tekin Bingöl told reporters on Feb. 2, saying all who want to run for the party management will “enjoy the CHP’s well-established democratic culture.”
“Elections will be finalized with the free will of our 1,266 delegates. This convention will pave the way for the CHP to run for government in the coming period,” Bingöl added.