MHP to hold emergency convention; Turkish court upholds appeal

A Turkish court accepted Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) dissidents' appeal for a stay of execution of another court on party's emergency convention on Friday.

MHP dissidents previously declared they would proceed with the emergency convention if the stay of execution were overruled.

Dissidents within the MHP have approached the courts to force an extraordinary congress in the wake of the party's poor showing in last November's general election.

A total of 543 delegates sent a petition to party headquarters demanding an extraordinary congress in the aftermath of the election, which saw the MHP lose its position as the third-largest group in the parliament, falling behind the Peoples' Democratic Party.

The petition filed at an Ankara court in February also criticized MHP leadership for not calling its extraordinary general convention. Devlet Bahçeli, who has led the MHP since 1997, has resisted the push for the congress.

A special committee appointed by the Ankara Civil Court of Peace had given May 15 as the date for the MHP to hold an extraordinary congress. However, MHP Deputy Chairman Oktay Özturk said on April 29 that an Ankara court had decided to halt the party's extraordinary congress as a precautionary measure.

Party bylaws ban the election of a new leader at such an extraordinary congresses.

Party dissidents hope to change such bylaws at the proposed extraordinary congress, which could eventually lead to the election of a new party leader.