Devlet Bahçeli, the head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and an ally of the Turkish government, returned to office on Friday after two months of medical rest.
Bahçeli paid a visit to the grave of MHP’s founding chairperson Alparslan Türkeş in the capital Ankara on the 28th anniversary of his death, his office said.
The 77-year-old politician had been on leave since undergoing cardiac surgery in early February.
As the first item on his itinerary following his return, Bahçeli paid his respects to Türkeş and left red and white carnations on his grave.
Bahçeli, accompanied by other party officials, later greeted citizens who waited to see him after his visit.
MHP supporters welcomed Bahçeli with roses and chants urging him “onward and ahead.”
The MHP was founded in 1969 when Türkeş changed the name of the Republican Villagers Nation Party (CKMP). Türkeş, a former colonel, was elected as its first chairperson.
After Türkeş died in 1997, the party elected Bahçeli as chair. Under Bahçeli, the MHP secured more than 17% of the vote in the 1999 elections.
MHP’s vote declined in the 2002 elections and it failed to win parliamentary seats. But it made a strong comeback in the 2007 elections, winning 71 parliamentary seats.
In 2016, MHP led the efforts to switch to the executive presidency system and, in 2018, joined the presidential elections as part of the People’s Alliance, which was formed with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Since then, it has been an inseparable part of the alliance.
In the 2023 general elections, MHP secured a 10.07% vote and currently has 48 parliamentary seats.