The Turkish opposition’s Felicity Party (SP) is expected to pick the names who will replace the outgoing chair, Temel Karamollaoğlu, at an extraordinary congress this Sunday.
The party’s high advisory board has agreed that it would be right for Mahmut Arıkan to take over as SP's leader. Karamollaoğlu told reporters in Ankara on Monday after convening the board.
The 82-year-old politician, who took the reins in the party in 2016, cited health reasons for his decision to step down from his post in a statement last week. He said he would endorse any candidate to replace him in the upcoming election. He has also underlined that he would not quit politics.
The former mayor also said Monday that the congress date was moved up because of what he described as “exhaustion.”
He explained that the party had been workshopping names for chair candidates with the attendance of over 2,000 members across provincial offices.
“Hundreds of names have been brought up and certain figures have received more esteem. We asked our members five of these names again at a second meeting with our branches,” Karamallaoğlu noted.
One such chair-hopeful is SP's Istanbul representative, Birol Aydın.
“Felicity Party will be holding its third extraordinary congress when the entire Muslim world is waiting for a reorganized Türkiye and that the only party that will provide a permanent solution to all of Türkiye’s fundamental issues is the Felicity Party,” Aydın said Tuesday.
Karamollaoğlu will be the third opposition leader to step down since last year’s general elections, following main opposition Republican People's Party’s (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Meral Akşener, head of CHP’s former ally Good Party (IP).
The SP won in one district and three towns in the March 31 municipal elections, securing eighth place in the list of parties with the highest number of mayoral and municipal assembly seats.
