On Sunday (April 6), Özgür Özel was reelected as chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) at the party’s convention in Ankara.

Özel received 1171 out of 1276 votes in his reelection as CHP chairman. Two other candidates, Berhan Şimşek and Ümit Uysal, did not compete in the contest due to failing to earn a requisite number of signatures and a late withdrawal, respectively. Former CHP chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had announced days earlier that he would not stand as a candidate for chairman in order not to exacerbate intra-party rifts.

The party convention was held following several turbulent weeks in Turkish domestic politics, which saw mass protests across the country following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19th. Just days after his arrest, İmamoğlu was officially nominated as the CHP’s presidential candidate. Turkey has also seen mass boycotts of government-linked........

© Medyascope