Ousted main opposition leader Özgür Özel used a polemical meeting in parliament on June 2 to accuse the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) reinstated leadership of collaborating with the government, renewing his calls for a new convention to resolve the dispute.
The meeting marked the first gathering of CHP lawmakers in parliament since an “absolute nullity” ruling on May 21 annulled the party’s 38th ordinary convention in 2023 and temporarily restored former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
“Before us stands an alliance between those who cannot accept the Nov. 5 [2023] convention and those who cannot accept the March 31 [2024] local elections,” Özel said, describing it as “the alliance of the absolute sultan and absolute nullity.”
Özel characterized the gathering as an act of resistance against what he called attacks on both the CHP and the country’s future.
“After a three-week hiatus, we are in the people’s parliament, where we belong, and at the podium where we should be,” he said.
In his speech, Özel linked the legal proceedings against the CHP to broader investigations targeting opposition figures, including suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. He described the cases as part of “a coup against the party destined to come to power.”
Özel also said enough signatures had been collected to hold an extraordinary convention, which he said would allow party delegates to determine the CHP’s future leadership.
“The convention will be held, and we will march toward power,” he said.
Following the court ruling, CHP lawmakers elected Özel as leader of the party’s parliamentary group. Kılıçdaroğlu, however, challenged the legitimacy of the meeting, informing lawmakers in a written statement that it could not be organized without his approval.
The dispute has also drawn in Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who cited inconsistencies in communications from Kılıçdaroğlu and Özel concerning CHP representation in the assembly. Kurtulmuş said he would seek clarification from the party through a formal letter.
Meanwhile, 111 CHP lawmakers issued a joint declaration calling for an extraordinary convention to be held on July 12.
“The sole authority to decide on the direction, course, fate and leadership of our party lies with our delegates,” the lawmakers said in the statement.
The chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul launched an investigation into allegations that delegates were improperly influenced during voting at the 2023 convention.
