Opposition's presidential candidate in last election announces new movement

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Former presidential candidate Muharrem İnce has announced that he will launch a "new movement" on September 4.

"The movement we have started is not an opposition movement. The name of our movement is 'Homeland in Thousand Days Movement'," he said today (August 13) at a news conference in response to the recent rumors that he would leave the CHP to form a new party.

İnce was the joint presidential candidate of the CHP, the İYİ (Good) Party, and the Felicity (Saadet) Party in the 2018 elections. He also served as an MP from the CHP from 2002 to 2018.

Criticizing the party and its leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, İnce said, "For the first time in the CHP's history, parliamentary group deputy chairs do not assume office with elections. There is no primary election anymore. One has to struggle a lot to give a speech in our congresses."

"Even if I leave, I would leave to save the CHP," he remarked and added that "neither a one-man regime nor a one-man opposition" can solve Turkey's problems.

İnce announced that the movement will be launched on September 4 in the eastern province of Sivas on September 4, the anniversary of the 1919 Sivas Congress, the first national congress held by the independence movement led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the republic.

"There will never be Atatürk's enemies in our movement. This movement will be based on reason and science.

"We will hit the road with my friends, whom I will introduce to you in a very short time, who are experts in their fields and who have not been in politics before. May Allah help us."

"Our Kurdish citizens won us the local elections"

About the 2019 local elections, where the CHP won in the three largest cities, İnce said, "Was the CHP unsuccessful in the local elections? No, it was very successful. But don't forget that our Kurdish citizens won us İstanbul, Ankara, Mersin, Adana. The HDP made us won. They didn't nominate a candidate."

"But after the election, CHP could not thank our Kurdish citizens wholeheartedly. I thank our Kurdish citizens, open my heart to them," he added.

On the criticism that he may "divide the opposition" by forming a new movement, İnce said, "Am I moving from the Nation's Alliance to the People's Alliance? No. 'Dividing' means taking from one side and giving to the other." (AS/VK)