New Headquarters, New Political Beginning
YENİ Party has finally moved into its new headquarters, with party leader Özgür Özel attending the first Party Assembly meeting at the new building.
The meeting focused mainly on the party’s upcoming congress timetable, organisational work and plans for September. Party officials also discussed the system under which party members will have a say in choosing district and provincial leaders.
Before the meeting, founding members planted a tree near the new headquarters, with plaques carrying the names of the party’s founders.
Özel described the move as a new beginning and said the party had experienced a level of public interest and support that had exceeded expectations.
“Turkey is witnessing a very important transformation,” Özel said, adding that YENİ Party had reached more than 600,000 members just 18 days after launching its online membership campaign.
Özel: “The People Created YENİ Party”
Speaking at the first public session of the Party Assembly meeting, Özel said YENİ Party had not been created through political engineering or closed-door negotiations.
“The people’s belief, struggle and hope brought us here,” he said.
According to Özel, voters had become tired of the traditional political parties and wanted a new political direction. He argued that the crisis surrounding the main opposition CHP had further increased the demand for a new political alternative.
YENİ Party officials claimed that CHP had become a political wreck and said they believed voters were increasingly looking to YENİ Party for hope.
YENİ Party Says It Has 600,000 Members
Özel said YENİ Party was founded on July 24 and was already fully organised in 72 provinces, with organisation in the remaining nine provinces expected to be completed during the week.
He also highlighted the party’s proposed new organisational model, under which members would elect district and provincial leaders as well as the party leader.
The party plans to establish neighbourhood assemblies and says its members will have both a vote and a voice in party affairs.
Özel also said YENİ Party would introduce a maximum three-term rule for its senior officials, arguing that politics should not become a permanent profession or career.
Özel Promises Power at the First Election
Özel made a particularly strong commitment regarding the party’s first election.
He said that after making his current party the largest party in its first election as leader, he would now make YENİ Party the governing party at the first election it contests.
“If I cannot make the party the governing party in the first election we enter, I will immediately call a party congress and hand over my position to the next leader,” Özel said.
He also called on citizens to join the party and help determine its future, saying: “We founded YENİ Party to bring it to power.”
September Campaign and the CHP
YENİ Party plans to spend September conducting fieldwork across Turkey, listening to voters’ problems and presenting the party’s proposed solutions.
Özel is also expected to continue his programme of public meetings and visits to different cities.
The party’s leadership again criticised developments within CHP, particularly the recent expulsions of members, arguing that the main opposition party had lost its connection with voters.
With its new headquarters now operational, YENİ Party is moving from its foundation period into a more organised phase, with membership growth, nationwide organisation and its first election campaign becoming its main priorities.
