The weight of youth in Turkish politics

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has moved to the right and no longer has the power to represent young people, warned CHP Ankara Deputy Mehmet Tomanbay yesterday.

A written statement issued by Tomanbay said that in a country like Turkey with a young voting population, efforts to gain power will come to nothing without the support of young people. Tomanbay decried the youth branch crisis seen in the CHP.

The six-month crisis springs from the vacancy in the chairmanship of the youth branch. It is still unclear that who will be appointed to the post, which has been vacant for months due to a dispute between a former Youth Branch chair, Ayhan Yalcinkaya, and his successor Fatih Pala.

While many political parties are pursuing projects to « rejuvenate politics » after a new law lowered the age of eligibility to be a deputy to 25, the crisis in the CHP has been reflected in its youth branches nationwide. In 15 cities, including Izmir, the chairmen of the provincial youth branches and their administrators have resigned.

Claiming that CHP leader Deniz Baykal and his administration care more for keeping control of the party than gaining national power, Tomanbay said, « Thus they view the youth branches as a tool for their ruling over the party. »

Tomanbay argued that Baykal had pulled the CHP towards the right ideologically, adding : « Young social democrats aren’t represented in the CHP and they don’t support the CHP anymore. It’s unacceptable for the leader and his administration to leave the chairmanship of the CHP Youth Branch vacant when such a short period of time remains before this year’s general elections. »

Tomanbay stressed that the CHP should bring policies that will integrate young people into a winning party strategy.