Resignations, biting remarks and protests highlight turmoil within Türkiye’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), ahead of the March 31 municipal elections. A critical vote for the party to make a comeback after its defeat in last year’s general elections, it, however, bared cracks within the party after Özgür Özel won the chair of the party by defeating Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in November.
Özel pledged “change” in the party after his election, but few expected it would be as radical as dissidents of former confidante of Kılıçdaroğlu say. He is accused of derailing the democratic process of picking candidates for municipal elections, while Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who raised his profile in the party after winning the 2019 elections, reportedly has a hand in choosing candidates.
Koza Yardımcı, a deputy chair of the party, was the latest casualty in apparent infighting. Yardımcı stepped down from her post on Thursday and expressed her disappointment over what she called “practices” of the party that hurt the conscience of local branches and the electorate.” “I fought for a candidate picking process based on merit and respecting the work of local branches, but despite my warnings, those practices prevailed,” she complained.
Gürsel Tekin, a former lawmaker from the CHP and a prominent figure of the party under Kılıçdaroğlu, was more harsh in his criticism of the current administration. Tekin, who also served as former deputy leader of the party, was rumored to be nominated for the mayoral seat of Esenyurt, one of Istanbul’s most populated districts. Tekin said his resignation had nothing to do with his candidacy but added that he felt alienated.
“I have been a party member for 40 years and never saw such a time. They did not contact me in any way for consultation in the candidacy process,” he told in a televised interview earlier this week. In an earlier social media post about his resignation, Tekin claimed the CHP was no longer a follower of the policies of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Türkiye’s first president and founder of the CHP, and no longer a “social democrat.” Tekin said that the current administration did not favor “change” as it claimed, but they were “a rotten bunch.” He said he won’t support CHP’s election campaign in Istanbul in any capacity.
Several CHP mayors also severed ties with the party when they were not nominated, claiming the party ignored public demands for successful mayors and instead favored figures close to Özel and Imamoğlu. The party had to replace some candidates in certain districts and cities upon reaction by supporters. Levent Gök, a former lawmaker who was close to Kılıçdaroğlu, was also critical of the process. Giving the example of the capital, Ankara, Gök said candidates fielded in 10 districts of the city were not affiliated with the party. Gök said on Wednesday that the party should tap “its own human resources” rather than relying on others. He also said the resignation of Tekin and others pointed to “cracks” and would add to the “distrust” of voters. “The party administration has a great responsibility to prevent it,” Gök said.
The party’s infighting even made its way into the election campaign of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told an election on Thursday that the CHP “would not care even if it was Doomsday because they were too occupied with their interests.” “They don’t have dreams, plans or projects for this country’s future, they are solely concentrated on their own goals. Each wants to run the CHP and they do not shy away from backstabbing each other,” he said.
