The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of the Turkish government, has finalized its congress schedule, with local conventions set to begin May 7 ahead of its 15th Ordinary Grand Congress planned for March 7, 2027, a senior party official said Friday.

Deputy Chair Semih Yalçın said the process will start with district and provincial congresses, following a decision taken at the party’s Central Executive Board meeting on April 27.

"After the completion of the congress process, it has been deemed appropriate for the 15th Ordinary Grand Congress of the MHP to be held on Sunday, March 7, 2027,” Yalçın said in a written statement.

The congress process is expected to shape the party’s road map ahead of its 2027 gathering, where key leadership and policy decisions are anticipated. Delegates from across the country are expected to gather in Ankara to elect or reaffirm party leadership, set the party’s political vision and priorities and strengthen coordination between grassroots branches and central leadership.

Last month, the MHP announced that the party’s central branch in Istanbul and branches in the city's 39 districts were dissolved, without citing a reason, and that a former district mayor was appointed as the new director of MHP’s Istanbul branch.

The MHP, one of the oldest nationalist parties in the country, has survived multiple splits, which led to the foundation of the Good Party (IP) and the Victory Party (ZP). It still stands strong in the polls, trailing behind the AK Party and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

This is not the first time that the party dissolved its Istanbul branches. All members of the branches were relieved of duties previously in 2014.

Highlighting the party’s long-standing role in Turkish politics, Yalçın said in his statement that the MHP has upheld its mission since its founding in 1969, drawing on national values and historical heritage.

He also underscored the "terror-free Türkiye” initiative, first conceived by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli in October 2024, describing it as a turning point in the political landscape.

The initiative aims to end PKK terrorism that began in 1984 and has killed more than 40,000 people, sowing discord at home and spreading violence across borders into Iraq and Syria. The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU, halted attacks last year and said in May it had decided to dissolve itself in response to a February 2025 call by its imprisoned ringleader, Abdullah Öcalan, to end its decades-long attacks. Parliament passed a parliamentary commission report in February this year that sets out a road map for legal reforms alongside the PKK’s disbandment.

According to Yalçın, the initiative has helped clarify political positions and strengthen unity, adding that the policy has gained broader backing with the support of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Yalçın said the initiative has received strong public support and reflects a wider societal rejection of violence as a political tool.

He also called on political actors to support efforts aimed at eliminating terrorism and strengthening national cohesion.