MHP Leader Bahçeli Comments on CHP's Internal Crisis, Backs Kılıçdaroğlu

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has weighed in on the internal turmoil within Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). Bahçeli characterized the ongoing crisis, sparked by a court ruling declaring the CHP's last convention "absolutely void," as having evolved from internal disputes into a "dead end."

Bahçeli asserted that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is the legitimate chairman of the CHP, referencing the Ankara Regional Court of Justice's decision. He criticized Özgür Özel, another claimant to the leadership, for his "divisive language and style" and for acting on external demands without question. Bahçeli stated that Özel lacks the potential to be a guardian of Anıtkabir, an heir to Atatürk, or a leader for Turkish youth.

The MHP leader emphasized that while the debates are political, the issue is legal, and the court's decision must be awaited. He noted that the MHP's calls for dialogue and reconciliation between the factions within the CHP have gone unanswered. Bahçeli observed that the internal strife has escalated from conflict between factions to a point of divergence, damaging Turkey's stability and democratic culture.

Bahçeli recalled historical instances of internal opposition within the CHP leading to party splits, such as the formation of the Democrat Party after the "four-man petition" and the subsequent establishment of different parties following Bülent Ecevit's rise. He expressed hope that the parties involved would come together to form a common will that preserves the CHP's institutional identity and carries it forward. Bahçeli suggested that a swift congress following a purification process within the CHP would be appropriate.