The ousted administration of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) led by Özgür Özel on June 17 submitted signatures from 830 delegates seeking to trigger an extraordinary convention.
At a press conference in parliament, Özel-aligned lawmaker Murat Emir said 74 of the party’s 81 provincial chairs were present during the submission.
The signatures were also delivered through a notary process onset. The Özel faction is demanding a new vote to resolve the leadership dispute.
However, reports suggest the party’s reinstated leadership will not act on the request. Reinstated CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his allies argue that an extraordinary convention cannot legally be convened under the court’s decision. Instead, they are expected to announce a timetable for a regular party vote.
Kılıçdaroğlu returned to a formal leadership position last month following a court ruling that annulled a 2023 convention.
Emir said the Özel camp would proceed in line with party bylaws and pursue legal avenues if necessary. The ousted camp has previously warned that if the new leadership refuses to convene an extraordinary vote, it will appeal to civil courts.
He added that delegates from the Istanbul congress, held during the run-up to the 2023 event, were not included in the signature tally due to an ongoing legal injunction. Though he said they had also expressed support for a new congress.
Emir said the signatures demonstrate opposition to what he described as the party being “managed by an appointed trustee, left without a convention and paralyzed.”
In comments to daily Nefes, Özel vowed “not to give the heart of the CHP to anyone,” adding that his faction would continue both political and legal efforts to secure a convention. “We are closed to the option of not holding a convention,” he said. “I will do whatever is necessary to hold it as soon as possible.”
Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed and ousted mayor of Istanbul, said in an interview with İlke TV that the faction is prepared for further escalation if the convention is blocked.
“We are ready politically, spiritually and physically,” he said, when asked about the possibility of forming a new party structure.
The dispute comes as the Kılıçdaroğlu-aligned leadership is also expected to consider disciplinary actions against several provincial heads who support Özel, particularly in Ankara and İzmir. Earlier expulsion requests had already targeted nine senior MPs and two mayors affiliated with the reinstated administration.
