Today in History – 17 November

CHP’s 7th Grand Convention begins

CHP’s 7th Grand Convention, which began on November 17, 1947, continued for 19 days with the moderates winning in the end. Following the changes made to the by-laws, the General Presidency Council was dissolved and replaced by the Party Council comprised of 40 members elected by the Convention. In addition, the selection of the 12-member Board of Administration from members of the Party Council was adopted and the deputy party president was granted wider privileges in the event the President of the nation was simultaneously serving as the general president of CHP.

In the elections, İnönü’s candidate Hilmi Uran received 328 out of 646 votes, whereas Recep Peker remained at 159. The convention also adopted the principle of choosing all party organizations by election instead of the years-long policy of appointment by the center. In addition, the policy of naming 70% of the deputy-nominees by local organizations was embraced. The age of admission to the party was lowered from 22 to 18.

The Convention also reviewed the Six Arrows. As the principle of statism was redefined, a new understanding that underlined private initiatives was adopted. Receiving 595 out of 645 votes, İnönü was elected president for the first time without unanimity in this convention. Although he was not officially a candidate, Reccep Peker received 25 votes. The Party Council appointed Tevfik Fikret Sılay as the general secretary.