Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu yesterday began a three-day visit to Germany and Austria to attend various programs and meet the leaders of social democratic parties as part of the party's campaign for the March 2019 municipal elections.
Kılıçdaroğlu is accompanied by Deputy Chairmen Ünal Çeviköz and Faik Öztrak. According to a written statement released by Çeviköz, Kılıçdaroğlu is scheduled to meet with Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Chairwoman Andrea Nahles during the two-day visit in Berlin on Nov. 28-29.
Kılıçdaroğlu is also expected to attend a program in the Friedrich Ebert Foundation to deliver a speech on his assessments regarding recent developments in Turkey's internal affairs and foreign policy, Çeviköz said.
Kılıçdaroğlu is also scheduled to attend an event organized by the CHP Berlin Union. The delegation will arrive in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Nov. 30 after completion of its programs in Berlin.
In day-to-day meetings in Vienna, Kılıçdaroğlu will convene with Austrian Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) Chairwoman Pamela Rendi-Wagner. The CHP leader will complete the visit after he meets citizens at an event organized by the CHP Vienna Union.
While Kılıçdaroğlu visits abroad, the party is accelerating its preparations for the upcoming local elections.
The party has ramped up efforts to form a possible alliance with the right-wing Good Party (İP) and the conservative Felicity Party (SP).
As a part of these alliance efforts, delegations from the CHP and the İP came together last week and agreed to collaborate for the local elections. However, backstage, it is alleged that the two parties have disputes in three metropolitan provinces, including the capital Ankara, the Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) stronghold Mersin and the southern resort city of Antalya.
