The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has narrowly avoided a crisis at the parliament after Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu decided the parliamentary group at the headquarters, leaving the podium at the parliament to Özgür Özel who currently serves as the parliamentary group leader of the party.
Already in turmoil following a court decision that reinstated Kılıçdaroğlu as the chairman of the party, the CHP was suffering from a deep uncertainty regarding which rival side would deliver the parliamentary speech on June 9.
However, earlier in the day, the supporters of Kılıçdaroğlu and Özel gathered in front of the parliament gates to join the parliamentary group and extend their backing.
Following a minor brawl and fighting there, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş announced that no visitors will be allowed to attend the CHP parliamentary group.
CHP parliamentary group leader Özel thanked to his supporters in a brief address at the parliamentary gate.
“What you did today is historic. You have once again thwarted the attack on our party, this time in parliament,” Özel said, calling on his supporters to use this motivation for making the CHP government in the next elections.
Özel, later, addressed his parliamentarians at the parliament.
“What we experience today is not an internal issue of the CHP. It’s about democracy,” Özel said, vowing to continue their fight to this end.
Repeating his calls on Kılıçdaroğlu for taking an initiative to organize as soon as possible a congress for the election of the party brass, Özel said “The only job needs to be fulfilled is holding a convention. There is no other way. You cannot act as a chairman or chair the Party Assembly (after being appointed) through a court decision.”
A local court in Ankara nixed the 38th convention of the CHP in 2023 during which Özel defeated Kılıçdaroğlu as the party’s chairman. It reinstated Kılıçdaroğlu as the chairman and the party’s management at that time.
Özel urged that the latest formal convention of the CHP took place in 2020 and it risks not to be allowed to run in the next elections in case it does not hold it until July 26, in line with the election law.
“Otherwise, it will be seen as a party which did not hold any convention in the past six years and that puts its place in the next elections,” he said, urging Kılıçdaroğlu not to prolong the process any further.
He also rejected claims that he is running a parallel CHP, saying “We are all elected members of the CHP. I, myself was elected as the chairman with the votes of all other delegates in the convention last year,” he underlined.
For his part, Kılıçdaroğlu, who spoke to his supporters at a meeting at the party’s headquarters, repeated his intentions to hold a convention under certain conditions.
“I want you to believe in just one thing: I am doing everything only for you. I am doing everything for the beautiful people of this country. And I will never embarrass you,” Kılıçdaroğlu said
His mission at the CHP is to clear the party from corruption, fraud and other dirty affairs, he suggested, “We will clear the party. We will get rid of those who are corrupt.”
“There will be nor order without justice,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, vowing he would take all necessary actions to bring justice and settle accounts with those who put the party under the corruption shadow.
