The Republican People’s Party (CHP) surprised “old school” supporters of the party, which long represented a strictly secular ideology. The “new” CHP under Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu offered a mix of controversial candidates when it revealed its list of potential lawmakers for the May 14 elections. Among them are those who sympathize with terrorist groups and LGBT circles, something that runs counter to the worldview of the party’s more traditional voters.
The party, which always ranks second in elections since the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) won hearts and successive elections for more than 20 years, hopes to break its long dry spell. Kılıçdaroğlu also leads the “table for six” alliance of smaller opposition parties. But his concessions to draw support from others in the bloc run the risk of driving out core supporters from the party besides drawing criticism from other parties.
The CHP gave away “prime” spots to members of other opposition parties, constituencies that have long been considered strongholds of the party, in lieu of some lawmakers who were crossed off the candidate list.
Other controversial candidates include Okan Konuralp, whose past tweets exhibit his blatant support for the PKK; Gökçe Gökçen, known for advocating LGBT movements; and lawmaker Mustafa Yeneroğlu from the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA).
For CHP members, the nomination of Sadullah Ergin is the most controversial. The former justice minister who joined the DEVA will serve as a CHP lawmaker if elected, something almost certain as he was nominated from a constituency in the capital Ankara where the CHP traditionally draws the majority of votes. Ironically, Ergin was the target of Kılıçdaroğlu years ago over his policies during his tenure as justice minister. Kılıçdaroğlu went quite far in 2010 and said Ergin did not “deserve to be a lawmaker.” Mustafa Balbay, a former CHP lawmaker, criticized his party for nominating Ergin, who was the justice minister when he was the target of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) during the notorious Ergenekon plots.
The CHP’s list also forced Cemal Enginyurt, a lawmaker from the Democrat Party to be included in the same list with CHP’s prominent names and lawmakers Veli Ağbaba and Özgür Özel, named as “traitors.” Enginyurt is known for his harsh criticism of the CHP for its alignment with the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in the past. The pro-PKK party continues endorsing the same CHP under Kılıçdaroğlu who included Enginyurt in his party’s candidate list last week.
Muharrem Ince, head of Homeland Party (MP) and Kılıçdaroğlu's presidential election rival, was quick to point out the CHP’s transforming mindset when it comes to finding a spot for parliamentary candidates. Listing names of his party’s candidates, Ince said via a social media post that they would run against Sadullah Ergin and “a person who calls Kemalism 'racism,'” referring to Yüksel Taşkın, another candidate from the CHP where Kemalism, an ideology associated with party’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was born and bred and supposedly still adapted by the CHP.
