ANKARA – Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), is preparing to hold intra-party elections during its 57th congress in Ankara this weekend.
The main question on everyone’s mind is: Will current party chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu keep his seat or will “reformist” Özgür Özel take over?
When Özel announced his candidacy on Sep. 15, many – including his supporters – were skeptical about his chances of taking down KK. Yet after some recent developments, it looks like the winds have changed.
There are two main reasons Özel could be the next CHP leader: