With an intra-party discussion about changing the top management of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) ongoing since the elections last month, 129 deputies issued a written statement on Thursday declaring that there is no need for an emergency convention to elect a new chairman, the T24 news website reported.
The party’s youngest deputy, Aysu Bankoğlu, held a press conference to announce the decision taken by the deputies and said, “We believe that focusing on an emergency convention debate and distancing the party from the real issues of the country is not appropriate.”
Twelve deputies, however, avoided putting their names on the written statement.
Also the chairpersons of 59 local CHP branches, including İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir, published a written statement supporting the decision of the 129 deputies, arguing that the debates over an emergency convention were damaging the party.
Aziz Kocaoğlu, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality mayor from the CHP, had previously urged the party administration to stop blocking attempts to change party leadership.
Earlier this week two CHP deputies opposed to incumbent party chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu announced that they had collected the necessary numbers of signatures from party delegates to request an emergency convention.
The CHP’s presidential candidate Muharrem İnce’s success in the elections on June 24, surpassing the party by garnering 8 percent more of the vote, sparked a debate in the party for a change in top management.
After the release of the statement by the deputies, İnce tweeted that he was well aware of their tough situation in the intra-party discussion and pledged to be their chairman as well.