The Republican People's Party (CHP) has "cleansed itself," its chair, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, recently claimed, but the new era of calm within the party may not last long. After losing its status as the main opposition party, the CHP is now bracing for another potential bout of internal strife following the departure of former Chair Özgür Özel, who founded the New Party (YP). Media outlets reported this week that a group of lawmakers plans to challenge Kılıçdaroğlu in a future intra-party election. The move may threaten Kılıçdaroğlu's efforts to reset the party by unloading those associated with corruption allegations.
Kılıçdaroğlu was reinstated as party chair in May after a court ruling nullified Özel's chairmanship over allegations of vote-buying in the party's 2023 leadership election. Before his departure, Özel called on the Kılıçdaroğlu administration to convene another party congress, expressing confidence that he could win the next leadership race. The CHP had earlier announced that preparations for the congress would begin in September, and Kılıçdaroğlu's challengers are reportedly already working behind the scenes.
One of them is Gürsel Erol, a lawmaker representing Elazığ province, who recently lost the race for the post of CHP parliamentary group chair to Faik Öztrak. Erol won the first two rounds of voting before withdrawing from the third. After the election, he made a pointed statement, claiming there was a "monopoly" within the party without naming anyone directly.
Ali Öztunç, a lawmaker representing Kahramanmaraş province, made similar remarks in an interview with a pro-CHP YouTuber, saying the party is not "anyone's property."
"We stayed in the CHP so it would not be shut down, but some people see it as their own property. Now they will face intra-party opposition," he was quoted as saying.
Öztunç and Erol were among the lawmakers who remained with Kılıçdaroğlu's CHP, while Özel took nearly 100 lawmakers with him to the YP. Öztunç has emphasized that they will continue pushing for a party congress as soon as possible "to reinvigorate the CHP."
Media outlets reported that Öztunç, Erol and like-minded lawmakers would try to persuade Kılıçdaroğlu not to seek re-election as party chair. The Turkish service of the BBC reported on Thursday that around 15 of the CHP's 44 lawmakers, who describe themselves as proponents of a "third way," would soon release a joint declaration outlining their position. According to the report, they neither support Kılıçdaroğlu's leadership nor are they willing to join the YP. It added that they could leave the CHP to sit as independents or join the YP if Kılıçdaroğlu refuses to meet their demands.
So far, Kılıçdaroğlu has remained vague about whether he will seek another term as party chair, though he said in a recent interview that he would "consider running" if nominated by other party members.
