The 1997 Nationalist Movement Party Extraordinary Congress referred to two party conventions held by the
Nationalist Movement Party (
Turkish: Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi - MHP), a far-right
ultranationalist political party in
Turkey, following the death of their first leader
Alparslan Türkeş. The first congress was held on 18 May 1997, where six candidates ran for the party leadership. Türkeş's eldest son,
Tuğrul Türkeş emerged with a plurality of the vote while
Devlet Bahçeli came second. The remaining candidates subsequently withdrew in support for Bahçeli, resulting in violence breaking out between party members supporting rival candidates. The second round was subsequently delayed until 6 July.
In their campaign speeches, Türkeş attacked Bahçeli for allegedly disrespecting the legacy of his father, whereas Bahçeli claimed that Türkeş's supporters did not have a place in the party.[1] Devlet Bahçeli was elected in the second round with 697 delegates' votes as opposed to Türkeş's 483, prompting Türkeş to resign from the party and establish the
Bright Turkey Party (ATP) in 1998. The ATP was dissolved in 2010 after Türkeş rejoined the MHP in 2007 and became a
Member of Parliament for
Istanbul in the
2007 general election.
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