Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli called on former main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to assume what he described as a “historic responsibility” and seek a compromise with current Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Özgür Özel following a court ruling that invalidated the party’s 2023 congress.
In remarks to CNN Türk, Bahçeli said Kılıçdaroğlu should acknowledge that the court had recognized an injustice against him but avoid triggering internal divisions within the CHP by supporting a negotiated settlement.
“Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu should undertake a historic responsibility in order not to hurt this deeply rooted institution, not to damage it and not to cause chaos,” Bahçeli said. He added that Kılıçdaroğlu should meet with Özel and declare, within the framework permitted by law, that he would waive his position in favor of reaching a joint formula for the future of the party.
Bahçeli’s comments followed a ruling by Ankara’s Regional Court of Appeals regarding the CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress held on Nov. 4-5, 2023, where Özel defeated Kılıçdaroğlu in the leadership race.
According to Bahçeli, the court concluded that allegations of procedural irregularities during the congress had been substantiated and ruled the congress “absolutely null and void,” effectively treating it as legally invalid from the outset.
Bahçeli said the decision also invalidated subsequent ordinary and extraordinary party congresses and suspended Özel along with members of the party’s Central Executive Board, Party Assembly and High Disciplinary Board as a precautionary measure until the ruling becomes final.
He noted that the court had ordered the restoration of the pre-congress leadership structure, allowing Kılıçdaroğlu and the former party administration to temporarily resume authority pending final judicial review.
Bahçeli said the ruling could still be appealed before the Court of Cassation within two weeks after notification and noted that an appeal process had already been announced.
Referring to earlier comments he made this month, Bahçeli said developments had validated his previous position that the issue should be handled calmly and within the rule of law.
He stressed that preserving the CHP’s institutional identity should take precedence over political confrontation.
“Resistance instead of responsibility is unnecessary,” Bahçeli said, arguing that protecting the CHP’s historical and institutional character required all actors to act with restraint.
He also linked the issue to broader political stability, warning against internal struggles at a time when Türkiye faces regional security challenges and what he described as efforts toward a “terror-free Türkiye.”
Bahçeli urged both Kılıçdaroğlu and Özel to avoid public confrontation and instead seek a common path based on party rules, legal procedures and mutual concessions.
“Only compromise remains,” Bahçeli said, adding that acting with responsibility and avoiding provocation would serve both the CHP and the country.
He reiterated that Türkiye is a democratic state governed by the rule of law and called for unity, institutional respect and political stability in resolving the dispute over the opposition party’s leadership.
