CHP leadership crisis deepens with rival gatherings

ANKARA

Rival factions within the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) traded fresh accusations on May 30 as competing gatherings deepened divisions after a court ruling reinstated former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

Supporters of CHP parliamentary group chair Özgür Özel gathered in Ankara after the court annulled the party’s 2023 congress last week, where Özel had defeated Kılıçdaroğlu and ended his 13-year leadership.

Some participants criticized Kılıçdaroğlu for accepting the ruling and returning to party headquarters.

Kılıçdaroğlu, meanwhile, addressed a separate gathering at CHP headquarters, defending the legal process and accusing his opponents of damaging the party through alleged corruption, personal ambition and internal misconduct.

“Did we build this party so that its reputation could be trampled in courtrooms?” Kılıçdaroğlu told supporters.

Referring to the CHP as a legacy of modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Kılıçdaroğlu questioned who had dragged the party into legal disputes.

“People ask me what I will do. What I will do is clear. I will demand accountability,” he said.

Özel, who rejects the ruling, called for the dispute to be settled through a new vote by party members.

“I am ready to compete against whomever you want. Set a date for the convention,” Özel told supporters.

“Let’s put it before the 2 million CHP members and let the people choose whom they want,” he said, adding that he wanted a primary election with the participation of all members.

The latest exchanges came after the Ankara Regional Court of Appeals upheld a ruling declaring the CHP’s 2023 congress legally invalid under the principle of “absolute nullity.”

The court temporarily restored Kılıçdaroğlu’s pre-congress administration until a new leadership process is held.

The case was brought by former CHP members and delegates who alleged irregularities during the congress. Özel and his allies have denied the claims and described the case as politically motivated.

The ruling has reopened a leadership battle inside the CHP. Özel’s supporters say the decision amounts to judicial interference in the internal affairs of the country’s largest opposition party.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s camp argues that the allegations surrounding the congress cannot be ignored and says accountability is needed to restore the party’s credibility.