Even though dissidents in the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) submitted 543 signatures in the presence of a notary public on Friday, which is enough to call for an extraordinary congress but not enough to change the bylaws, the party's chairman, Devlet Bahçeli, will not gather a congress – stoking the flames of an internal party war. Meanwhile, the Republican People's Party (CHP) will hold an ordinary congress over the weekend with candidates waiving their candidacy one after another.

Former MHP deputies Meral Akşener and Sinan Oğan together with MHP deputy Koray Aydın on Friday submitted 543 signatures to the party after Friday prayers expecting Bahçeli to call for an extraordinary congress. However, Bahçeli dismissed the three dissidents last week, saying: "The MHP congress will be held on March 18, 2018. Until then, this is not something that concerns us."

As the MHP is tangled up in political in-fighting, the CHP will hold a congress at the weekend. Umut Oran and Muharrem İnce, who had declared their candidacy for the chairmanship before, withdrew their candidacy leading up to the congress. Current Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is expected to be re-elected since there appears to be no candidate opposing him.

Speaking to Daily Sabah, Türkiye daily columnist and ATV Avrupa host Fuat Uğur said the dissidents have a slight chance of toppling Bahçeli. "The 543 signatures are not enough to change the bylaws. If the dissidents get the opportunity to gather a congress to change the bylaws, it will be tough for the dissidents because MHP congresses are generally troublesome," Uğur said. He also stressed that some of the 543 delegates may change their views in the time leading up to the congress. "Even if an extraordinary congress is held, the process will take long," he added. Emphasizing Bahçeli's allegations of Akşener being a member of the Gülen Movement, Uğur said: "If an extraordinary congress is held, Bahçeli will reveal even more secrets about Akşener with regards to her alleged links to the movement."

Uğur commented on the CHP's upcoming congress as well. Claiming that Kılıçdaroğlu will declare his full authority over the party with this weekend's congress, Uğur said: "Kılıçdaroğlu has purged Kemalists and neo-nationalists inside the party and turned it into a sectarian one favoring Alevis."

Stressing that the CHP may pose a threat to Turkey by being a sectarian party, Uğur said the CHP lost its national stance with Kılıçdaroğlu being the sole leader of the party.