Former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu called on party members to respond calmly after the court’s “absolute nullity” ruling regarding the CHP congress case, saying the party would resolve its internal issues on its own.
“All party members should receive the decision calmly. Our party will solve its problems internally,” Kılıçdaroğlu said in his first statement following the court ruling.
In a statement shared on social media, Kılıçdaroğlu said CHP was not “an arena for personal political ambitions” but rather “the certificate of sovereignty of the nation.”
Referring to the court’s ruling on the contested congress, Kılıçdaroğlu said, “The court’s decision regarding our 38th Ordinary Congress should not become a reason for division, but an opportunity to unite under the shade of our century-old plane tree.”
He urged party members to avoid escalating tensions, saying, “Today is not a day to hurt one another with cries of celebration. It is a day to set aside grievances and rise again with seriousness, calm and mutual embrace.”
Kılıçdaroğlu also said the party would manage the process collectively and in coordination with senior figures across the CHP organization.
“We must manage this process not with regrets, but with seriousness, sincerity rooted in our party culture and common sense,” he said, adding that the party would work in “full harmony and cooperation” with former party leaders, Party Assembly members, lawmakers and provincial and district chairs.
Emphasizing the CHP’s broader political goals, Kılıçdaroğlu said internal disputes would not derail the party’s ambitions.
“No one should worry. We will lead our party out of these debates and continue our march toward power,” he said, calling on all members to act with calm and common sense.
“We are together,” he added.
The statements came after Ankara’s 36th Civil Chamber of the Regional Court of Justice ruled that the CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress held on Nov. 4-5, 2023, as well as the party’s 21st Extraordinary Congress, were legally invalid due to “absolute nullity.”
The court ordered the temporary removal of current CHP Chair Özgür Özel and the existing party administration, while reinstating Kılıçdaroğlu and the previous party organs pending a final ruling. The lawsuit, filed by former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş and supported by several CHP delegates, alleged irregularities during the congress process.
