The ousted leader of the CHP, Özgür Özel, has revealed plans underway to form a new political party in Turkey or, alternatively, to join an existing party: statements that confirm rumours of a possible split within the main opposition party after the Turkish courts reinstated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as party leader on 21 May, triggering a deep crisis within the CHP.
During a live interview with NOW TV, which has been reported by numerous media outlets in Turkey, Özel explained that technical preparations are also being made in anticipation of the possibility of early elections and assured that “We will have a party ready for any eventuality”.
Speaking on the possibility of elections being brought forward to as early as October, Özel noted: “If there are to be early elections in October this year, we must also be prepared for that.” When asked whether there was a specific date or a timetable for the creation of a new political party splitting from the CHP, the ousted leader of the Turkish opposition replied: “I am not going to specify a particular date or a deadline; but there is a date, 20 July, which marks the start of the judicial recess”.
“It will probably last 40 days, until 1 September,” he explained, referring to the period during which courts and tribunals suspend their ordinary activities and procedural deadlines. “It will be a period during which nothing can be done until the start of the judicial year. That would really dash people’s hopes,” he said, explaining why the 20 July deadline is so important.
Özel: “Preparations are already underway for the formation of a new party”
“As regards the issue of forming a new party, we have no interest in forming one and do not want to do so at all: that is very clear. But a certain sentiment is growing amongst the people, and we must take that into account,” he said, justifying his plans for a political party separate from the CHP.
In this regard, Özel explained that the process might not materialise immediately, but noted that preparations are underway and alternative plans are even being considered: “Preparations are under way for the creation of a new party. There is also the possibility of joining one of the existing parties. Perhaps joining that party straight away is not something that will happen now, but we will make our preparations,” he said.
Referring to the process of collecting signatures among CHP delegates to call for an extraordinary congress, Özel stated that more than a thousand delegates have called for a new congress to be held, with the exception of delegates from Istanbul and a few others: “The delegates are expressing their will through notaries; this is very clear,” he emphasised.
“To ignore this will is to ignore the democratic culture of the party,” said Özel, for whom the solution to the problem is clear and involves holding a new congress as soon as possible to decide who should lead the main opposition party, thereby putting an end to the chaos currently engulfing the CHP. “Anything else will prolong the process and exacerbate the crisis,” insisted Özel, who also argued that several legal experts have refuted the claim that the interim measures imposed by the courts prevent the congress from taking place, as claimed by Kılıçdaroğlu’s supporters: “The congress must go ahead; there is no alternative,” he reiterated.
A court ruling that has split the CHP in two
Özel was removed from the post of general secretary of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) last month, when a unanimous ruling by the Ankara Regional Supreme Court invalidated the party congress held on 4 and 5 November 2023, finding that several irregularities reported by Kılıçdaroğlu’s supporters – who was ousted as leader of the opposition at that congress – had been proven, including vote-buying in exchange for money and positions.
The ruling was applied retroactively, reinstating Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his entire team to their posts and annulling any decisions taken by the party to date following that congress, which has had serious internal repercussions.
Although Özel and his supporters are calling for an extraordinary congress to restore legitimacy within the party and determine who should be its general secretary, Kılıçdaroğlu’s reinstated leadership rejects these demands and maintains that an ordinary congress must be held, in accordance with the scheduled timetable and not before a final ruling has been handed down in the ongoing legal proceedings, once the Supreme Court has ruled on the appeal lodged by Özel’s lawyers against the decision of 21 May.
For Özgür Özel and those CHP members aligned with his cause, the ruling handed down in May and the failure to urgently convene a congress call into question the main opposition party’s ability to contest the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey; but Kılıçdaroğlu and his allies argue that the court ruling constitutes a force majeure situation that prevents an extraordinary congress from being held, and that until then the party must be led by Kılıçdaroğlu and his team, who have already announced the replacement of the CHP chairpersons in the provincial branches of Erzurum, Gaziantep, Adana, Malatya, Bursa, Ankara and İzmir.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
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.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
