The day of the convention has arrived: 4 candidates to compete for the CHP chairmanship

The eagerly awaited 38th Ordinary Convention of the Republican People's Party (CHP) begins today (November 4).

The Divan Chairmanship of the convention, which will start under the slogan "Convention of democracy and unity in the second century," will be held by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

The election for the chairman will be held today at the convention, and the elections for the Party Assembly (PM) and the High Disciplinary Board (YDK) will be held tomorrow.

At the convention, which will start at 10:00 at the Ankara Sports Hall, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP Group Chairman Özgür Özel, former PM member Örsan Kunter Öymen, and former deputy İlhan Cihaner will compete for the CHP chairmanship.

HOW MANY DELEGATE SIGNATURES ARE REQUIRED?

The convention, which was normally scheduled to be held in 2022, was postponed due to the pandemic and the possibility of an early election. The previous CHP convention was held on July 25-26, 2020.

A total of 1,368 delegates, 1,200 of whom were determined at provincial congresses and 168 of whom are natural delegates, will cast their votes at the 38th Ordinary Convention.

According to the CHP's internal regulations, the signatures of 69 delegates, which is 5 percent of the party delegates, are required to be nominated for the chairmanship. To be elected chairman, one must receive the votes of at least 684 delegates, which is the majority of the total number of delegates.

The main race in the chairmanship election is expected to take place between Özgür Özel, the candidate of the "change advocates," and the current chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the candidate of the "headquarters" faction.

THE SECOND DAY OF THE CONVENTION

On the second day of the convention, the election for the 61-member Party Assembly (PM) and the 15-member High Disciplinary Board (YDK) will be held.

The Divan Chairmanship of the convention will be managed by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu upon the proposal of Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

MESSAGES FROM THE CANDIDATES

The common message of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Özgür Özel, Örsan Öymen, and İlhan Cihaner, who will compete for the chairmanship at the convention that started today in the CHP, is that the convention should turn into a festival of democracy.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: We will have a beautiful and enjoyable convention, we will have a convention in peace, we will have a convention together in a festive atmosphere.

Özgür Özel: I promise a policy that will touch Kurds, Turks, Alevis, Sunnis, right-wingers, left-wingers, the poor, and precarious workers. I propose a brave and determined policy against the shy and passive politics that our party has been following for some time. I promise a CHP that does not run away from the streets, but organizes the streets and squares.

Örsan Öymen: I am calling on the convention delegates: Rebel against the convention design and engineering with 2 candidates that are not much different from each other, against these despotic practices, and against the power centers trying to suppress your free will; ensure that all candidates become official candidates with your signatures before the day of the convention, and pave the way for a democratic convention; let us write history together.

İlhan Cihaner: They are trying to ignore the others by engraving into the memory of the delegates that two candidates are competing. We see that both the headquarters faction and the change advocates have not broken away from the practices that brought the party to this point. That is why perspectives outside of these two structures must definitely be reflected in the convention.

News Source: 12punto