Municipal elections scheduled for March 31 may be the final straw for supporters of Türkiye's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). The party, which suffered consecutive defeats against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in the past two decades, relies on boosting the number of municipalities it won in the 2019 elections. Yet, a large number of party members are preparing to part ways with the CHP on April 1 amid a string of controversies under the leadership of the party's new chair, Özgür Özel.

Özel, who succeeded long-serving leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu after an intraparty election last November, sought to turn around the fortunes of Türkiye's oldest party after another defeat at general and legislative elections in May 2023. However, the new administration's scheme of forming alliances with other parties for upcoming elections did not find support as expected, unlike the six-party alliance the party led during presidential elections.

The party's nomination of several members of the pro-PKK Green Left Party (YSP), informally known as the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), a successor of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), stirred up discontent in the CHP. Most of those are nominated for municipal assemblies. Among them are candidates who were detained in counterterrorism operations in the past and those openly praising PKK's jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan. Nominations are mostly concentrated in Istanbul's districts. In Esenyurt and Sancaktepe, some 15 people associated with the YSP were nominated for assembly seats by the CHP. CHP supporters are reportedly disappointed with nominations "forced upon" those in lower ranks of the party administration.

Along with Özel, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who allegedly has a hand in the candidate selection process, is under fire. The CHP supporters in Istanbul's Sarıyer, Avcılar, Kadıköy and Ataşehir districts have recently staged protests, calling for the resignation of Özel and Imamoğlu after expressing disapproval of candidates for those districts. In Ataşehir, incumbent CHP Mayor Battal Ilgezdi severed ties with the party after he was not nominated again.

Before he won the election for the party's top chair, Özel was critical of his predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu over the latter's nomination of 39 candidates from other members of the six-party alliance in legislative elections on the list of the CHP. But he proved he was no different than Kılıçdaroğlu despite his campaign motto of "change" for the CHP, by courting the YSP. Sources say Özel lost his influence in the party's Istanbul branch, in particular, due to his controversial nominations.

Along with municipal assembly seats, Özel faced dissent over his decision to nominate Ahmet Özer as a mayoral candidate in the Esenyurt district, a candidate openly endorsed by the YSP.

Sources say CHP members were waiting for the outcome of the March 31 elections to decide on resigning from the party.

Özel's pledge of change offered the opposition electorate a new path for the party, adhering more to the founding values of the party. But he proved he was not very different than his successor in the process leading to municipal elections.

Özel first drew the ire of CHP supporters merely six days into office when he scrapped an intraparty referendum for a new charter. Then came his notorious remarks that intraparty election for candidates was "not always a correct method." This was a harbinger of what awaited the loyal electorate of the party that long boasted an intraparty democracy where even the harshest criticism among members was tolerated and local branches of the party were asked about their opinions of mayoral candidates.

About two weeks into office, Özel made the headlines again after he accompanied a lawmaker of the YSP to the concert of a singer known for her anti-Turkish sentiment. Özel, kissing the hand of singer Pervin Chakar, further escalated criticism of his tenure, supposed to be a time for severing ties with the pro-PKK party.

Another controversial move came on Dec. 13. Right after attending the funeral of a Turkish soldier killed by the PKK terrorists, Özel paid a visit to the YSP to negotiate an alliance in upcoming municipal elections.

On Dec. 24, Özel's CHP proved it would deviate from the opposition's united stance against PKK terrorism when the party refused to sign a joint declaration of the ruling and opposition parties at Parliament against terrorism following the killings of 12 soldiers by the PKK in northern Iraq. Özel continued negotiations with the YSP as he warmly welcomed the party's representatives at a meeting on Jan. 11. After the meeting, Özel announced that they would object to the practice of appointment of trustees to municipalities whose mayors were suspended from office for their support to the PKK. He reiterated this stance as he unveiled his party's election manifesto on Feb. 18.

Although the CHP did not formally announce an alliance with the YSP, the latter did not field candidates in 22 districts of Istanbul while nominating a candidate for the seat of Imamoğlu.

Özel's other decisions over candidate picking also stoked tensions, such as nominating his personal lawyer, Hüseyin Can Güner, for the mayoral seat of Çankaya, a district of Ankara that has long been a CHP stronghold. The nomination of Güner, also a relative of CHP lawmaker Veli Ağbaba, stirred up a debate over perceived nepotism within the party. Another crisis erupted when he tried to withdraw the candidacy of Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş. Savaş has faced protests in the southern city, which was devastated by the February 2023 earthquakes, for its poor handling of the disaster. When Savaş announced that he might run independently, Özel retracted his opposition and decided to nominate him again.