Kılıçdaroğlu urges unity after İzmir mayor quits CHP

ANKARA

The reinstated chair of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, has called for unity and restraint within the main opposition movement as a widening internal dispute has triggered resignations and deepened divisions.

In a letter addressed to the party’s executive board members and lawmakers, Kılıçdaroğlu urged members to prioritize collective responsibility amid growing tensions.

“In times when the political climate grows harsher, we must move beyond personal ambitions and knee-jerk reactions, acting with complete seriousness and unwavering unity,” he said.

“At this historic juncture, as we build our future, we must take care to stand together and make our language more unifying than ever before.”

The appeal came after İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay announced his resignation from the CHP in protest over disciplinary measures and organizational changes introduced by the reinstated leadership.

“The dismissal of our İzmir provincial chairman ... is a great injustice and an unacceptable mistake against the political will of İzmir,” Tugay wrote in a social media post.

“With great sadness and the hope of one day returning, I am resigning from my membership in the Republican People’s Party.”

Following his departure, İzmir Deputy Mayor Zafer Levent Yıldır, municipal council members Mustafa Özuslu and Atilla Baysak, and CHP youth branch head in the city, Ruhsar Selis Çelik, also resigned from the party.

The resignations followed decisions taken during the CHP’s June 17 central executive board meeting, where the restored leadership approved disciplinary referrals and organizational restructuring across several provinces.

Party organizations in İzmir, Ankara, Bursa, Adana, Gaziantep, Erzurum and Malatya were reorganized, while provincial administrations in the affected areas were dissolved.

The leadership also referred Istanbul provincial head Özgür Çelik, Erzurum head Serhat Can Eş and Bitlis head Metin Güzelkaya to the party’s disciplinary committee. Asu Kaya, head of the CHP women’s branch, was dismissed.

Separately, detained Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan resigned from the party after being referred to the disciplinary committee with a request for permanent expulsion.

The latest turmoil stems from last month’s court ruling that invalidated the CHP’s 2023 convention over alleged irregularities and reinstated Kılıçdaroğlu and his administration, removing the leadership led by Özgür Özel.

Supporters of ousted leader Özgür Özel have since pushed for an extraordinary vote to reestablish the leadership’s legitimacy, while the reinstated team has argued that the next regular convention should proceed according to schedule.

Supporters of Özel have been pushing for an extraordinary vote to reestablish the leadership’s legitimacy. The reinstated administration rejects those demands, maintaining that the party should continue under its regular convention schedule.

In a parallel effort to pressure the leadership, lawmakers aligned with Özel resigned from a key party committee in an attempt to render it ineffective and force a new convention.