Turkish MP quits amid party 'instability'

ANKARA

A member of parliament for Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) quit dramatically on Wednesday amid an internal row over “instability”.

Umit Ozdag, from the southeastern province of Gaziantep, submitted his resignation in a letter to party headquarters.

He later told a news conference at the Turkish parliament: "For ending instability at the party, an extraordinary congress should be held."

The MHP has closed 20 of its local administrations as more than 540 delegates sent a petition to headquarters demanding an extraordinary congress.

The party has shut 13 provincial branches and seven district branches since Feb. 19. The closures came after the petitions of 543 delegates reached headquarters on Jan. 15.

The row follows a poor result for the party in last November’s general election. The MHP lost its position as the third-largest group in parliament, falling behind the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Party leader Devlet Bahceli has faced calls to stand aside, but has refused to do so. Now party members and activists want to call an emergency meeting.

"Headquarters ignores the extraordinary congress requests of branches which democratically signed a petition for restoring trust or a change," Denizli provincial head Fatih Coskun said in a statement on Monday.

The MHP’s Corum provincial head said on Tuesday that it is "unacceptable" for the party and democracy, adding: "We believe that these will not foster our party, rather minimize it."

In November, ex-MPs Sinan Ogan, Meral Aksener and Koray Aydin separately called for party leader Bahceli to convene an extraordinary congress.

Having chaired the party since 1997, however, Bahceli has kept silent over the demands.

After opponents did not receive a response from party headquarters on the extraordinary congress, they took legal action.

The MHP now has until March 11 to decide on holding the meeting.

The dissidents are hoping to call the crunch talks on Turkism Day, held every May 3 by Turkish nationalists since 1944.

However, even if they are able to gather the extraordinary congress on May 3, party regulations ban the election of a new leader.