Turkish political parties are preparing to hold workshop camps to draw an effective road map for the local elections due in March 2019.
Preparations for the elections, political alliances and bylaw changes are likely to dominate the agenda of all the political parties.
The Republican People's Party (CHP) will be the first to begin. It will kick off a three-day camp, led by party Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in northwestern Turkey's Bolu this Thursday.
The CHP is expected to come up with a strategy for their main targets in the local elections - winning Ankara and İstanbul municipalities. The CHP will also gradually announce its election candidates, starting next month.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) will also attend a camp in Ankara's Kızılcahamam district this Friday. The camp is expected to run through the weekend.
Although there has been clear decision, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the MHP have both made positive remarks on maintaining their People's Alliance from the June 24 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Thus the continuity of the alliance is expected to be on the party's agenda alongside preparations for the election campaign. The amnesty bill proposed by the MHP yesterday will also be discussed.
Party leader Devlet Bahçeli will hold a press conference at the end of the camp. He previously stated that the MHP will not nominate its own candidate for the Istanbul mayoral race due to its poor results during the previous elections.
On the other hand, the AK Party will hold its camp during the first week of the new legislative term on Oct. 5-7 in Ankara's Kızılcahamam. The camp has been delayed because of a number of state visits for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
However, the party has already started its local elections campaign, which will be re-evaluated at the camp. Likely changes to Parliament bylaw and an alliance with the MHP will also be on the AK Party's agenda.
The AK Party has already completed its electoral analysis of 40 provinces, taking into consideration the opinions of ordinary citizens on possible candidates and their expectations.
Earlier in August, the party organized a cam
p where it analyzed the 7 percent drop in votes in the June 24 parliamentary elections as well as complaints and suggestions for the upcoming elections.
