The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is courting Muharrem Ince, a former member who once challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in presidential elections. CHP leader Özgür Özel visited the Homeland Party (MP) headquarters on Wednesday and openly invited the party’s chair, Ince, to “return home.” Ince was a four-term CHP lawmaker before he was nominated as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2018 elections.
Ince told Özel that he would consider the invitation and discuss it with his party’s administrative board.
Although he parted ways with the CHP in 2021 after he failed to trigger an intraparty election to topple former CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the veteran politician appeared supportive of the party at times, especially after the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu last March on charges of corruption. Ince also sided with the CHP in opposing the arrest as Özel, claiming it was a “politically motivated” act to imprison Imamoğlu, the future presidential candidate of the party. Nevertheless, Ince hinted that his support would not last long and suggested “a third way” was possible in Turkish politics outside the CHP and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) without openly promoting his party.
The MP has one of the lowest followings in the Turkish political landscape, scoring only 0.17% of the vote in last year’s municipal elections.
