Rival CHP camps skip weekly meetings amid leadership feud

ANKARA

Parallel leadership camps within the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) have both canceled their plans for a weekly meeting in parliament scheduled for June 16, easing tensions after a chaotic standoff last week.

“We are pleased to learn that there has been no application this week from our headquarters for a group meeting,” senior lawmaker Murat Emir said on June 15 at a press conference in parliament.

He also said ousted CHP leader Özgür Özel had decided not to deliver his weekly address, citing “strong internal support” for restraint.

Last week, rival meetings organized by Özel and reinstated party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu were scheduled at the same time, triggering confusion and brief confrontations among supporters outside the parliament building.

After appeals for calm from Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, Kılıçdaroğlu moved his gathering to party headquarters. Özel proceeded with a parliamentary meeting attended by about 100 CHP lawmakers.

Some 20 lawmakers attended Kılıçdaroğlu’s event, while roughly 20 others stayed away from both gatherings, citing neutrality or scheduling conflicts.

Müslim Sarı, speaking for the restored leadership, said Kılıçdaroğlu would also skip this week’s meeting. “The decision was taken to preserve the unity of the CHP and prevent the creation of new divisions and tensions,” he said in a post on X.

Emir said the pause did not signal reconciliation between the camps. “We are not in a dialogue,” he said.

The Özel-aligned MP said they will on June 17 submit nearly 900 signatures collected in support of convening an extraordinary convention, alongside provincial chairs and delegates.

The split intensified after a court ruling annulled the CHP’s 2023 convention and reinstated Kılıçdaroğlu and his administration. Özel calls the decision politically motivated and illegitimate.

Although Özel has previously described the possibility of leaving the CHP or forming a new party as a “doomsday scenario,” reports suggest growing disciplinary measures and resistance to a new vote may increase pressure in that direction.

Emir dismissed such claims on June 15 as speculation.

“We are in our party… we are not going anywhere. We are aware of all the traps that have been set and are being attempted to be set for us,” he said. “We will continue to fight in our party… but of course… we are keeping all options on the table.”