CHP leader invites İnce to return to party fold

ANKARA

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has extended an open invitation to Homeland Party leader Muharrem İnce to return to the main opposition party's fold.

"I said a few words about inviting Mr. Muharrem İnce and our friends in the Homeland Party to the father's home. The next stage will be at their discretion," Özel said on June 18 during a joint press conference with İnce following their talks in Ankara.

İnce, a former CHP presidential candidate and four-time lawmaker, responded positively.

"I will visit Mr. Özel as soon as possible after holding a meeting with my authorized bodies and listening to their views," he said.

Özel described his relationship with İnce as “very special,” dating back to his early days in politics within the CHP.

"Apart from all party visits, the ones to the Homeland Party have a different meaning for us," he said.

“If there is a father's home under the auspices of [modern Türkiye and CHP founder] Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the closest to it is the Motherland Party and Mr. Muharrem İnce."

For his part, İnce called for unity amid what he described as a critical period for the country.

"We have to think about our common dreams and common good, not our personal ambitions,” he said.

"We must put aside our resentments and grievances and emphasize unity."

İnce founded the Homeland Party in 2021 after resigning from the main opposition party. He had previously challenged CHP's leadership, running against then-chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in 2014 and 2018. As CHP’s 2018 presidential candidate, he garnered just over 30 percent of the vote, finishing second to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In 2023, İnce briefly entered the presidential race as one of four contenders but later withdrew from the contest.