YENİ Party's first congress opens in Ankara: sole candidate Özgür Özel

YENİ Party's Founding Congress began at 10:00 at the Ankara Sports Hall, as Chairman Özgür Özel entered the hall together with his wife Didem Özel and his daughter İpek Özel. Özel entered the hall to the song "Pusulamız Millet". The Cumhuriyet newspaper reported the congress minute by minute.

Özel took the podium at 10:10 and opened the "founding" congress. Saying "All of our delegates have assembled. I am opening our founding meeting. Welcome, everyone," Özel invited the hall to stand for a moment of silence and the İstiklal Marşı; after the anthem, the slogan "We are Mustafa Kemal's soldiers" was chanted.

At 10:17, Murat Karayalçın was unanimously elected chairman of the congress presidium. MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli also sent a wreath to the congress; the wreath, made up of red gerberas, white lilies and red roses, bore the words "Devlet Bahçeli, MHP Chairman".

Özgür Özel is the sole candidate in the chairmanship election. A total of 1,202 delegates will vote in the election to be held on the first day of the congress. A message sent to the congress by jailed Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu will be shown in the hall.

The Founders' Board, which convened before the congress, accepted increasing the number of Party Council members from 80 to 150, limited to one congress term. The Party Council is envisaged to include different professional groups, representatives from trade unions and well-known names in their fields. The Founders' Board also decided to establish an Ethics Committee; the changes will be submitted to the delegates' approval.

Although the party charter contains an open-list rule, the party leadership will be determined through a bloc-list application. The 150-member Party Council to be elected is expected to take to the field immediately after the elections.

Two photographs of Özel taken during his march to the Parliament after the police raid on the CHP headquarters on 21 May, along with a photograph of him with İmamoğlu, were hung in the hall. It was reported that all political parties except the Butlan CHP were invited to the congress.