Main opposition CHP reelects chair for seventh time

Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) reelected Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as the chairperson on Saturday.

Kılıçdaroğlu garnered 1,251 votes out of 1,318 during the 37th regular congress of the party. He assumed the post for the seventh term.

During his speech at the congress, Kılıçdaroğlu listes Turkey's five biggest problems as democracy, economy, political independence and foreign policy, education and social peace. Their first target is to write new constitution and they will swith from the presidential system to an "empowered parliamentary system" when they come to power, he said.

The two-day congress was held on the weekend at Bilkent University's Odeon exhibition center in the capital Ankara.

On the first day of the congress, the delegates elected the party chairperson. They voted to elect 60 members of the party's assembly on Sunday.

During the congress, Özlem Çerçioğlu, the mayor of the metropolitan municipality in the western Aydin province, was elected the council chairperson of the party.

Kılıçdaroğlu has been serving as the chairperson of CHP since 2010. He took the office at the 33rd regular congress, held after the resignation of Deniz Baykal, a former chairperson. (AS/VK)