The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) is expected to change 40% of its party administration during the 13th Ordinary Congress scheduled for Thursday in Ankara.
Incumbent party head Devlet Bahçeli will be the sole candidate in the congress, which will be chaired by MHP Deputy Chairperson Semih Yalçın. The MHP’s partner in the People’s Alliance bloc, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), will send five high-level representatives including Deputy Chair Numan Kurtulmuş, party spokesperson Ömer Çelik, Deputy Chairperson Julide Sarıeroğlu, former Minister Mehmet Özhaseki and party Deputy Erkan Kandemir. The MHP did not send an invitation to the Nation Alliance bloc, namely the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Good Party (IP) and the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
During the congress, MHP leader Bahçeli is expected to address domestic and foreign policy issues and emphasize the significance of the People's Alliance in Turkish politics. Bahçeli, who has been the chairperson of the MHP for 24 years, will extend his duty for the ninth time. The hall will be equipped with Turkish flags, and posters of the founder of the party Alparslan Türkeş and Bahçeli will be hung.
The ruling AK Party forged an alliance with the MHP in the 2018 parliamentary and presidential elections.
The alliance got a majority in Parliament, while the AK Party presidential candidate, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, also won the election with 52.6% of the votes.
Since both parties considered the results of the June 24 elections successful, they continued their alliance in the local elections in 2019. The People's Alliance received 51.6% of the votes and won more than 700 municipalities in the March 31 local elections.
