Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the reinstated leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has unveiled his new administration amid an ongoing internal rift.
Müslim Sarı, newly appointed by Kılıçdaroğlu as party spokesman, announced the management team’s composition during a press conference on June 2. The new leadership roster will consist of 19 members, Sarı said, adding that the economy, foreign policy and elections will be managed directly by the chairman, who will appoint dedicated advisers for these missions.
According to Sarı, lawmaker Rıfat Nalbantoğlu will serve as the party’s secretary-general, while Bülent Kuşoğlu will handle financial and administrative affairs. Sarı himself will take charge of local governments, with Berhan Şimşek overseeing culture and arts policies.
The new executive board held its first meeting late on June 2 under the leadership of Kılıçdaroğlu. There was no statement afterwards.
Kılıçdaroğlu is expected to hold a Party Assembly meeting next, but Sarı stated that its timing has not yet been finalized.
“There are certain rules for the meeting of the Party Assembly. It needs to convene on a certain agenda, which needs to be decided by the executive board,” the spokesman said.
An Ankara court has restored Kılıçdaroğlu to the CHP leadership, ruling that the 2023 convention where he lost to Özgür Özel was void due to allegations of fraud and corruption. Özel and his supporters rejected the court’s decision as politically motivated and called on the new leadership to hold a new convention without delay.
Responding to a question, Sarı emphasized that the party will certainly hold the convention, but stressed it is essential to wait for the final decision from the Court of Appeals.
