Republican People's Party (CHP) Yalova Deputy Muharrem İnce is expected to declare his candidacy for the party chairmanship today for the upcoming general congress, in the latest announcement by party members expressing interest in the post.

Reportedly, İnce decided to run for the chair after consulting the party's Istanbul delegates. Previously, İnce ran for the CHP chairmanship in the extraordinary congress held in September 2014 and lost to present CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Meanwhile, 42 chairs from provincial organizations, which were elected as delegates in the last congress, made a call on Sunday for the party to hold a special meeting as soon as possible. Earlier, Umut Oran, a former Istanbul deputy for the CHP, called for Kılıçdaroğlu to convene the general congress immediately and announced his candidacy for the chairmanship in a written statement on Wednesday.

Oran said that unless Kılıçdaroğlu faces reality and does what is necessary, the party organization and current delegates will take the most important duty themselves: "As Kılıçdaroğlu said when he took office, unfortunately a considerable increase in votes could not be provided in six elections in the last five years."

İzmir Deputy Mustafa Balbay also announced his candidacy in a televised interview on Saturday, saying he has a duty of loyalty to Kılıçdaroğlu and the party needs reforms in orientation, method and governance. "We are going for the congress. I will present my advice. If they say that these projects will bring our party into power, then I say that I am in. I come with hope, excitement and great energy."