Ousted CHP leader vows political campaign in public spaces

BURDUR

Ousted Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has denounced a court ruling that overturned his administration as an attempt to derail the main opposition movement’s path to power, pledging that he will continue his political campaign in public spaces.

“They want to take the Republican People’s Party away from us... to stop the great march we will undertake,” Özel said at an event in the southwestern city of Burdur’s Çavdır district.

The turmoil stems from a court decision last month that invalidated the CHP’s 2023 convention over alleged irregularities. The ruling reinstated former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his team, removing Özel’s administration from office.

Özel’s supporters have since pushed for an extraordinary vote to restore his mandate. The reinstated leadership has argued that the party should instead proceed with its next scheduled ordinary convention.

“They confiscated the buses on which I held 265 rallies. They thought Özgür would back down and that it would stop our march to power. Well, I’m saying right here... sitting on a chair at a cafe in Çavdır, I’m in the hearts of the people,” he said. “We don’t need big buildings or luxury buses. If necessary, we’ll turn an orange crate on its side and meet with the people on it... From now on, we’ll be in the squares, on the streets, shoulder to shoulder with our people.”

He repeated similar messages at a separate event in Yeşilova district, criticizing what he described as his removal from party headquarters.

“We left the building behind, we left the buses in its garden. I’m in Yeşilova, in the middle of the street, on a bench, but I’m in the hearts of the people,” he said. “Farmers, retirees, workers, women and young people have decided to change the government, and they want to stop our march... You can take the party and give it to someone else, but I’m in the hearts of the people”

At another gathering in Bucak, Özel said the internal struggle had evolved beyond party politics. “The struggle we are waging to reclaim the CHP has turned into a great social movement,” he said.

In a televised interview on June 19, reinstated CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu defended the court ruling and said a new ordinary CHP convention would be held within four to five months. He argued that accepting the court’s decision prevented the appointment of an external trustee to run the party.

“What are they afraid of?” he asked. “They are afraid that I will carry out a purification.”