Turkey: Opposition MHP members insist for congress

Four former deputies of Turkey's opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) insisted Saturday that an extraordinary congress would take place despite conflicting court rulings and threats of police intervention.

MHP former deputies Umit Ozdag, Koray Aydin, Meral Aksener and Sinan Ogan have made a push to challenge Devlet Bahceli, who has led the party since 1997.

“Despite all the violations of the constitution and the laws, as well as the pressure…, the MHP presidency candidates will be at the address where our congress will be held at 10.00 a.m. [0700GMT] on May 15, 2016," said the four dissident senior MHP members in a statement.

Late Friday, Ankara's 15th Enforcement Directorate overruled a decision by Ankara's 2nd Enforcement Court apparently green-lighting the congress.

On Friday, party leader Bahceli tweeted: "We will not have an extraordinary congress on May 15."

While a party lawyer had announced earlier that an extraordinary congress had no legal basis and would be blocked by police forces, the main challenger for party leadership, Aksener said Friday on social media that the congress would go ahead as scheduled.

Party bylaws ban the election of a new leader at such extraordinary congresses. However, party dissidents hope to change such bylaws at the proposed extraordinary congress, which could eventually pave the way for the election of a new party leader.

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

A total of 543 delegates had 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 (HDP).