The crisis inside the largest party of the Turkish opposition is evolving into an open conflict, as members of the Republican People's Party, CHP, remain at this hour barricaded in the central headquarters of the party in Ankara, refusing to allow entry to the new leadership appointed by a court decision. The tension began on Thursday, when an appeals court of Turkey annulled the CHP congress of November 2023, during which Ozgur Ozel had been elected president of the party, succeeding Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
The court unseats the Ozel leadership
The court decision suspends Ozgur Ozel and the members of the executive committee of the CHP, ordering their replacement by Kemal Kilicdaroglu and cadres who held positions before the congress of 2023. The opposition denounces that the decision has purely political motives and aims at the weakening of the CHP, which is faced with a wave of court cases targeting cadres and elected representatives. Kemal Kilicdaroglu had departed from the leadership of the party after 13 years, a period during which the CHP did not manage to win any national electoral contest. On the contrary, Ozgur Ozel, in his first electoral test as leader of the party, managed to inflict a significant blow on the ruling Justice and Development Party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the municipal elections of 2024.
The imprisoned Ekrem Imamoglu at the center
The next presidential election in Turkey is scheduled for 2028, however Recep Tayyip Erdogan maintains the capability to call early elections. A central figure in the political developments remains the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the CHP and a basic political opponent of Erdogans. Imamoglu has been in prison since March of last year and is being tried for corruption cases. Many political analysts estimate that the judicial prosecutions against the CHP — mainly on charges of corruption — aim at the neutralization of the opposition ahead of the next elections. The Turkish government, for its part, insists that Justice functions independently and without political interventions.
The CHP headquarters in Ankara barricaded
The overwhelming majority of the cadres and members of the party has sided with Ozgur Ozel. He and his associates remain since Thursday inside the central headquarters of the CHP in Ankara, essentially preventing the new administration from assuming duties. The two rival sides were to meet on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to find a solution to the impasse. Local media broadcast that crowds gathered outside the offices of the party, with Ozgur Ozel arguing that these are individuals who do not belong to the CHP and were sent for intimidation. At the same time, the police presence in the area was being reinforced gradually since the morning, while the lawyer of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Celal Celik, submitted a request to the police of Ankara for the removal of the supporters of Ozel from the building. The office of the governor of Ankara approved the relevant request.
Evacuation order and fears of new political unrest
The Turkish authorities gave an order to the police to evacuate the central headquarters of the CHP, implementing the court decision that restores Kemal Kilicdaroglu to the leadership of the party. Strong riot police forces and gathered citizens were found outside the offices of the CHP in the Turkish capital, following the official order of the office of the governor of Ankara for the removal of the cadres supporting Ozgur Ozel. The appeals court of Turkey annulled on Thursday the results of the CHP congress of 2023, citing irregularities that were not clarified publicly. In the place of Ozel, the court restored the former president of the party Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who had been defeated by Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the elections of that year.
Ozel denounces a judicial coup
Ozgur Ozel requested on Saturday the holding of a new party congress as soon as possible, while Kemal Kilicdaroglu stated that the congress will take place at an appropriate time. The leadership team of the CHP under Ozel characterized the court decision as a judicial coup, with him stating that he will fight it through legal means and that he will remain day and night at the central headquarters of the party in Ankara. At the same time, the members of parliament of the CHP reelected Ozgur Ozel on Saturday as head of the parliamentary group of the party, in a move of open defiance of the court decision.
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