Main opposition CHP leader blames gov't for sparking in-house row

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has accused the presidency and the government of meddling with his party's internal politics after the results of the April 16 referendum led to the dismissal of a veteran party member and the resignation of the party's spokesperson, amid voices for change in the party's leadership ahead of the 2019 elections, daily Cumhuriyet reported on May 8. 

"We know everything; the instructions given by the presidency for stirring trouble in the party," Kılıçdaroğlu told party assembly members at a meeting on May 6, while stressing on recently flared-up tension within the party, according to Cumhuriyet. 

Kılıçdaroğlu said some party members deliberately and some others obliviously contributed to the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) ambitions to weaken the country's largest opposition. "It is me who introduced democracy to this party. No one should be offended by this. And it's my duty to protect this party. If there is anybody willing to become the chairman, I can help any contender to meet with party delegates. But I won't allow anybody to weaken this party," he said.  

The party found itself in a bitter row after the referendum resulted in a narrow win for the AKP-led charter changes, as some prominent party figures voiced the need for change in the party's leadership in order to be better prepared for the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections. 

CHP's former leader Deniz Baykal flared up tension in a televised interview where he called on Kılıçdaroğlu to either announce his candidacy for the forthcoming elections or to hold an extraordinary convention for a change in the leadership. 

Fikri Sağlar, a veteran social democrat politician and...