The reinstated leadership of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) under the leadership of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu held its third high-level meeting in just eight days on 10 June, deepening the extremely serious crisis facing the main Turkish opposition party, whilst Kılıçdaroğlu’s faction has called for the expulsion of nine MPs from the party, without ruling out a possible expulsion of Özel.
According to reports in the Turkish media, the CHP’s Central Executive Committee, headed by Kılıçdaroğlu, met at 13:00 Turkish time (12:00 CET) today and, following the meeting, the party spokesperson, Müslim Sarı, announced that “nine of our colleagues have been referred to the Disciplinary Committee for provisional expulsion in accordance with the relevant articles of our party’s constitution”.
“We are obliged to take disciplinary measures against those who have contributed to this situation and to the complete undermining of the party, those who have been associated with a process in which party congresses and conventions are ignored, and against those who are under suspicion in relation to this matter,” stated Sarı, who also emphasised that “the decision was taken unanimously”.
According to reports published in the Turkish press, the nine MPs referred to the CHP Disciplinary Committee for expulsion are:
- Ensar Aytekin (MP for the province of Balıkesir)
- Ali Mahir Başarır (MP for Mersin)
- Gokan Gunaydin (MP for Istanbul)
- Nurhayat Altaca Kayışoğlu (MP for Bursa)
- Ozgur Karabat (MP for Istanbul)
- Umut Akdogan (MP for Ankara)
- Veli Agbaba (MP for Malatya)
- Turan Taşkın Özer (MP for Istanbul)
- Burhanettin Bulut (MP for Adana)
The CHP has not ruled out expelling Özgür Özel
When asked about the possible expulsion of the former CHP leader, Özgür Özel, who refuses to recognise the ruling by the Turkish courts that restored the party presidency to Kılıçdaroğlu due to irregularities at the congress held in 2023, Sarı noted that Özel’s situation within the party would be assessed at a later date.
The penultimate episode in the current power struggle within the CHP took place yesterday, when both Kılıçdaroğlu and Özel announced their intention to speak at the weekly meeting of the parliamentary group at the Turkish parliament’s headquarters in Ankara, where Özel – elected group leader in a hastily arranged vote – spoke last week amid chants of “Kılıçdaroğlu traitor”.
The decision by both leaders to attend the parliamentary building led to clashes between supporters of the two factions right at the entrance to the Turkish parliament; eventually, following a call for restraint by the mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavaş, Kılıçdaroğlu moved his meeting to the CHP party headquarters in the capital, where he announced possible disciplinary sanctions against his internal opponents.
For his part, Özel addressed more than 90 MPs in the parliament building, reiterating his criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu and his accusations against Erdoğan, in line with his strategy since the crisis began. Only 20 MPs attended Kılıçdaroğlu’s meeting, whilst another 20 chose not to attend either gathering, citing neutrality in the conflict or scheduling conflicts. Meanwhile, 74 of the party’s 81 provincial chairmen have expressed their support for Özel’s leadership.
High tension between Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu supporters
So far, the mediation attempts led by Yavaş and other party leaders have failed to bridge the gap and end the crisis in the Republican People’s Party. The faction aligned with Özel maintains its demand to hold an urgent extraordinary congress – even as early as July – to put an end to the current chaos and dual leadership within the party.
For his part, Kılıçdaroğlu insists he wants to hold an ordinary congress, not before the end of this year, but maintains that Turkey’s main opposition party must first be “cleansed” of corruption to ensure a process that is free and unmarred by irregularities, such as those reported in 2023. According to the CHP’s internal rules, the expulsion of MPs or mayors requires the approval of the Party Council, which is due to meet tomorrow: it will be a moment of peak tension, as both factions will be in the same room for the first time since the crisis began.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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