The leadership dispute inside the main opposition CHP has moved to parliament, with rival factions clashing over whether Özgür Özel can convene the party’s parliamentary group meeting as group chair.
The dispute follows a court ruling annulling the CHP’s 2023 congress and reinstating former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, a decision that has left the party divided over authority, procedure and the timing of a new congress.
Kılıçdaroğlu has applied to the parliament speaker’s office, asking for the vote that elected Özel as CHP parliamentary group chair to be declared invalid.
In the application, Kılıçdaroğlu’s side argued that the closed group meeting where Özel was elected had been held without a proper agenda, without a call from the party chairman and without observing the required procedures.
The parliament speaker’s office is expected to evaluate the application. Kılıçdaroğlu’s camp says Özel should not be recognized as group chair and claims a hall may not be allocated for Tuesday’s meeting.
Özel’s side rejects this view, citing parliament’s rules of procedure and the CHP group’s internal regulations.
CHP lawmaker Zeynel Emre said the group meeting would be held, arguing that a large majority of the party’s lawmakers stood with Özel.
“We will hold our group meeting,” Emre said. “There is a group chair and elected deputy group chairs. This has taken place under the rules.”
He said the party did not need a specific hall for Özel to speak, adding: “Wherever our chairman speaks, the group meeting is there.”
The group meeting dispute comes as Özel’s side prepares to begin collecting signatures for an extraordinary congress.
Following the court ruling, the number of CHP delegates is being recalculated. According to party discussions, after the exclusion of Istanbul delegates and other changes, 565 signatures may be needed to convene an elective extraordinary congress.
Özel’s camp is also considering calling the Party Assembly for an extraordinary meeting and seeking a congress decision through that body.
Emre said if signatures from more than half of the delegates are collected, the request must be submitted to party headquarters and a congress must be convened within a maximum of 45 days.
“If a decision is not taken immediately in that direction, the court path is used,” he said.
Özel held meetings in parliament with former members of his central executive board and other senior party figures to discuss the next steps.
His side says rallies, marches, provincial visits and field work will continue as part of the response to the court ruling.
Kılıçdaroğlu’s side argues that the court ruling restored the previous party administration and that procedures must continue under that framework until the legal process is clarified.
