Ousted main opposition leader Özgür Özel said on June 29 that he was advancing what he called “a new politics” that could evolve into a new party or a transformed political movement, as the Republican People’s Party (CHP) remains locked in a leadership dispute.
“We are in our party, but we are in the midst of a new march, a new approach. We are in the midst of a new politics, a founding politics, a politics marching towards power,” Özel told supporters in the western city of İzmir’s Ödemiş district.
His remarks come as the CHP continues to grapple with a deep internal crisis between rival factions following a court decision last month that overturned Özel’s leadership and reinstated former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his team.
“Whether the party is new or we continue in the existing party, this new march of ours will be the new party of housewives, young people, retirees, workers,” Özel said, adding that his movement seeks to “leave behind despair” and economic inequality.
“We are heralding a new politics that leaves behind despair, the days when the rich always win and the poor lose, those who are disloyal to retirees. Together we are marching toward power.”
Özel and his allies have pushed for an extraordinary vote to resolve the leadership dispute, while the Kılıçdaroğlu-aligned faction argues that legal restrictions prevent such an event and insists the party should proceed with its regular convention schedule in September.
More than 800 delegates have signed a petition supporting a new election, according to Özel’s camp, which also planned to pursue legal action in civil court on June 29, Turkish media reported.
The internal standoff has also spilled into parliamentary politics, with competing plans for party meetings. Özel sought to address the party’s weekly gathering in parliament on June 30, while the rival leadership moved forward with plans for a parallel meeting.
The reinstated leadership under Kılıçdaroğlu is preparing to convene the party’s Central Executive Board, according to reports.
In recent weeks, tensions between the two camps have repeatedly disrupted party scheduling. In one instance, both Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu announced plans to preside over the same meeting before Kılıçdaroğlu ultimately shifted to a separate gathering at party headquarters, averting a public confrontation.
