Main opposition CHP leader urges his party to work ‘as if polls are tomorrow’
Rifat Başaran - ANKARA
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has instructed his party’s overseas organizations to intensify their works “as if the elections will be held tomorrow,” despite still having two years to the parliamentary and presidential elections.“We have to start working as if there will be an election tomorrow. Reach out to the electors and convince them,” Kılıçdaroğlu told the CHP’s overseas representatives in a meeting attended by 50 representatives from 25 different countries on June 3 and 4.
“Tell them what has happened after the referendum. We have voters in 57 different countries. Works that is rushed in a few days won’t be any good to anybody,” he added.
Regarding the CHP’s roadmap for the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections, representatives asked about a possible strategy of the CHP to unite and keep the “No” camp together.
“We will appeal to European Court of Human Rights [ECHR]. Our friends have been conducting a comprehensive work on it. We all have to prepare for the 2019 presidential elections together,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.
He said he will also continue his visits to leaders of the political parties that have stood against the constitutional charter referendum on April 16. He already met with leaders of the Felicity Party (SP), Homeland Party (VP) and Democrat Party (DP) as well as former Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) lawmaker Meral Akşener, who led a “No” campaign while her party endorsed the “Yes” vote.
Kılıçdaroğlu is set to pay a visit to Kurdish issue-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) this week, as he is also expected to evaluate the post-referendum process with newly elected co-leader Serpil Kemalbay and other party officials.
The CHP leader has also requested to visit and thank all non-governmental organizations and voters that the party had visited before and worked with.
Kılıçdaroğlu urged his party to use a constructive and unifying language.
