Rival CHP camps clash over Türkiye’s main opposition party’s future

Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party has been plunged into a deepening leadership crisis after a court annulled the party’s 2023 congress, setting off a power struggle between reinstated former chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and ex-chair Özgür Özel amid clashes at party headquarters and growing uncertainty over who will ultimately lead the opposition.

Attention is now shifting to how and how quickly the CHP can resolve the dispute, with rival camps sharply divided over the timing and format of an eventual congress that could decide the leadership question.

Özel and his allies are pushing for an early extraordinary congress to settle the crisis. Following a phone call after the court ruling, Özel insisted he would not compromise and reiterated his demand for a swift vote.

“We want elections as soon as possible, we want a congress,” Özel said.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s camp has taken a more cautious stance, focusing first on restoring party institutions. Party Council member Müslim Sarı said after meeting Kılıçdaroğlu that the reinstated chair plans to convene the Party Council and disciplinary board after the holiday before outlining a roadmap.

Former CHP figure Gürsel Tekin, meanwhile, has suggested that an extraordinary congress process could take seven to eight months.

The leadership dispute has unfolded alongside a criminal investigation into violence outside CHP headquarters in Ankara. Prosecutors have launched a probe into allegations including unauthorized demonstrations, resistance to police and an incident in which a vehicle allegedly injured a person during the unrest.

The confrontation erupted after riot police, accompanied by a lawyer representing Kılıçdaroğlu, moved to enforce a court-backed eviction when members of the Özel-led administration refused to leave the building.

The Ankara appeals court Thursday nullified Özel’s election as CHP chair at a 2023 congress, suspending him and members of the party’s executive board.

The court ruling said Özel should be replaced by Kılıçdaroğlu, his predecessor, who led the party for 13 years but never won any national elections.

Tensions escalated early Sunday as supporters of both camps gathered outside party headquarters in Ankara. After attempts to deliver and enforce the ruling reportedly failed, police broke through a locked gate and entered the compound.

Inside, Özel supporters erected barricades using chairs and furniture to block officers. Police responded with pepper spray and tear gas, while CHP members threw objects and used fire extinguishers in return.

The standoff caused significant damage inside the headquarters, including shattered glass doors and destroyed office furniture. Cleanup crews worked through the night and repairs are expected to continue.

Police later swept through the multistory building floor by floor as lawmakers and officials accompanying Özel gradually left the premises.

Özel eventually emerged coughing from pepper spray exposure and criticized the operation without directly naming Kılıçdaroğlu.

“Everyone does what fits him best,” he said, accusing those behind the enforcement of trying to take control of the party.

He later walked toward Parliament with supporters, declaring that CHP’s “real center” had shifted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

The rhetoric intensified divisions within the party, with some supporters chanting anti-Kılıçdaroğlu slogans during the march.

That language drew immediate backlash from figures aligned with Kılıçdaroğlu. CHP lawmaker Mahir Polat warned that those insulting Kılıçdaroğlu could face disciplinary action, including possible referrals to party mechanisms.

Reports also circulated that figures close to Özel’s camp could face disciplinary scrutiny, though no official steps have been confirmed.

AK Party blames infighting

On Monday, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Ömer Çelik said the turmoil inside CHP reflects an internal power struggle, not external interference, and sharply criticized opposition leaders for attempting to drag the ruling party into the dispute.

“The AK Party is not involved in this incident in any way,” Çelik said. “This is essentially an internal conflict within the CHP.”

He said CHP figures were attempting to shift attention away from their own divisions by targeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AK Party, describing the situation as “more chaotic than the Middle East.”

Çelik accused CHP officials of turning political debate into “a politics of lies,” adding that criticism of the government was being used to “cover up their own inadequacies.”

“We respect political criticism and political protest,” he said. “But when it turns into insults, threats and political bullying, we will not accept it.”

He also described remarks directed at President Erdoğan during protests as unacceptable, saying: “Our president is our red line.”

Çelik added that the CHP crisis originated from internal allegations later taken up by the judiciary and rejected claims that courts were being used for political engineering.

“These claims were brought forward by people within the CHP itself,” he said. “The judiciary acted, and the result is what we are seeing today.”

He said the AK Party would remain outside the dispute but respond firmly to what he called “unfounded accusations,” both politically and legally.

DAILYSABAH