The reinstated leadership of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is expected to expand expulsion proceedings against provincial leaders in Türkiye’s three largest cities, according to a party official and local reports.
The party organizations in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir would be referred to the disciplinary committee with expulsion requests and replacement names would be appointed, said Ali Haydar Fırat, communications coordinator for the restored administration.
The moves come as the CHP leadership under Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu continues an internal disciplinary process that has already targeted nine senior MPs and two mayors for possible expulsion, with reports suggesting additional lawmakers could be added to the list.
“Kılıçdaroğlu’s stance is extremely clear; he does not want to pit his party members against each other in any way,” Fırat said in televised remarks on private broadcaster TV100.
Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, among those facing expulsion proceedings, resigned from the party altogether, rejecting what he called the “collaborationist trustee and his gang’s so-called disciplinary committee.”
A controversial court ruling annulled the party’s 2023 convention and reinstated Kılıçdaroğlu and his administration. The decision triggered a parallel leadership struggle with the faction led by Özgür Özel, who argues the court’s move is illegitimate and politically motivated.
Özel and his allies contend that disciplinary referrals can only be initiated by a Party Assembly decision.
Following the ruling, 28 members aligned with Özel resigned from the party’s top decision-making body ahead of a June 11 meeting in an effort to trigger an extraordinary convention. The Kılıçdaroğlu-aligned leadership maintains that such a vote cannot proceed until legal proceedings are concluded.
Müslim Sarı, spokesperson for the restored administration, has previously described the disciplinary process as part of a broader “purification policy” promised by Kılıçdaroğlu upon returning to office. In a June 12 statement, he also said a congressional calendar had been prepared in line with holding a regular convention.
Last week, both Kılıçdaroğlu and Özel scheduled speeches for the party’s weekly meeting in parliament at the same time, prompting confusion and confrontations between supporters outside the assembly.
Following calls for restraint from CHP’s Ankara mayor Mansur Yavaş, Kılıçdaroğlu moved his meeting to party headquarters. Özel proceeded with the gathering at parliament, where he addressed nearly 100 out of the party’s 138 MPs.
Around 20 MPs attended Kılıçdaroğlu’s gathering, while roughly 20 others boycotted both sessions, citing neutrality or scheduling conflicts.
Separately, 74 of the CHP’s 81 provincial chairs have declared support for Özel’s leadership, including those representing Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir.
