UPDATE - Turkey: Current head only nominee for CHP chairmanship

UPDATES WITH KILICDAROGLU’S CANDIDACY; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK

By Baris Gundogan, Burcu Calik Gocumlu, and Merve Yildizalp Ozmen

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) announced Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the current head, as the only candidate for chairmanship during its 37th regular congress on Saturday.

The two-day congress is being held at Bilkent University's Odeon exhibition center in the capital Ankara.

On the first day of the congress, the delegates will elect the party chairman, while on the second day, they will vote to elect 60 members of the party's assembly.

The duration for nominee applications ended at 3 p.m. local time (1200GMT).

Kilicdaroglu, the CHP head, said important decisions will be made during the congress which will have reflections around the world.

During the congress, Ozlem Cercioglu, the mayor of the metropolitan municipality in the western Aydin province, was elected the council chairperson of the party.

Cercioglu announced that Kilicdaroglu was the only candidate for the post, adding all provincial heads supported him.

Kilicdaroglu has been serving as the chairman of CHP since 2010. He took the office at the 33rd regular congress, held after the resignation of Deniz Baykal, a former chairman.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar and Sena Guler