The biggest question facing Bahçeli's rivals is whether they can secure nominations at the party congress. Under the MHP's bylaws, the support of at least 40 delegates is needed for nomination. The leader's two main rivals, Ahmet Reyiz Yılmaz and Hakkı Şafak Ses, believe they will be able to obtain the required support at the congress.
Scheduled for Nov. 8, the MHP congress is expected to be the scene of a cutthroat competition between the three rivals.
Yılmaz has claimed that he will be nominated as a candidate for party leadership with the backing of at least 250 or 300 delegates. In him, delegates seek a new figure to challenge Bahçeli.
Ses is hopeful that he will not have difficulty being nominated as a candidate at the congress because the current MHP delegates are more democratic than those in past congresses. “As of today, Turkey will see the new wind [in politics]. Today's MHP delegates are more democratic. Thus, I believe I am luckier,” he noted.
Koray Aydın, a former minister of public works and housing, is also expected to challenge the MHP's Bahçeli at the congress, but has remained silent so far. According to Aydın, Bahçeli cannot stand as a candidate for leadership due to restrictions in the MHP's party bylaws. The MHP bylaws state that a party leader cannot seek re-election for a fifth time. However, the party is expected to change its bylaws at the congress.
Earlier this month, Aydın collected the signatures of 255 party delegates and called on the party administration for an extraordinary congress. The MHP administration, however, rejected the call, saying the signatures were not sufficient for an extraordinary congress. Aydın then filed a complaint at the Supreme Court of Appeals. His complaint is still pending at the court.
