DEM Party’s Fifth Ordinary Congress Begins

The DEM Party’s Fifth Ordinary Grand Congress began at 10 a.m. at Ankara’s Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center, with co-chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan delivering the opening speeches.

After the opening session, delegates were due to move into a closed-door section. The meeting will include elections for party bodies, an assessment of the party statute and the presentation of a political declaration for the coming period.

The congress, organized because of a legal requirement, is not expected to bring a sweeping change to the party leadership. Hatimoğulları and Bakırhan are expected to retain their positions. Limited changes may be made to the Central Executive Board and the Party Assembly, while no changes are expected to the party’s name, statute or program.

The party’s more substantial transformation is expected to be addressed at a congress planned for spring 2027. Party circles say restructuring and broader changes could come onto the agenda in connection with developments in the “solution” process. That congress is expected to be coordinated with the implementation of the Law on Strengthening National Solidarity and Social Integration, while the current meeting is expected to focus mainly on fulfilling the legal requirement and maintaining the existing leadership.