Calls from within the Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu camp to expel ousted leader Özgür Özel and former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu have intensified Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) power struggle, sharpening divisions between rival factions competing to shape the party’s future leadership.
The escalation comes as the CHP continues to grapple with the fallout of a court ruling that annulled its 2023 congress and restored Kılıçdaroğlu’s pre-congress authority on an interim basis, triggering competing claims of legitimacy and control inside the party.
According to party figures and media reports, hardline voices aligned with Kılıçdaroğlu are increasingly pressing for disciplinary action against senior figures in the opposing camp, including calls to remove Özel and Imamoğlu, who has been jailed since March 2025 on charges of corruption.
The allegations have been firmly rejected by supporters of Özel, who say the claims are politically motivated and aimed at consolidating control over the party apparatus following the court decision.
Özel and his allies, meanwhile, are pushing for an early extraordinary congress to resolve the leadership dispute through a new delegate vote, arguing that internal legitimacy can only be restored through elections.
“We want elections as soon as possible, we want a congress,” Özel has said, according to party figures familiar with the discussions.
The competing strategies reflect a widening split over how to navigate the court ruling that invalidated the 2023 leadership congress and reset the party’s internal structure. The decision has effectively reopened a leadership contest that had appeared settled after Özel’s victory nearly three years ago.
Kılıçdaroğlu’s camp is advocating a more gradual process focused on rebuilding party institutions before moving to a leadership vote. Party Council member Müslim Sarı said after meeting Kılıçdaroğlu that the party’s governing bodies would convene after the Eid holiday to determine a roadmap.
Former CHP figure Gürsel Tekin has suggested an extraordinary congress could still take place within seven to eight months, reflecting ongoing uncertainty over timing and control of the process.
The internal dispute has also fueled tensions outside party politics, including clashes at CHP headquarters during efforts to enforce the court ruling.
Authorities have since opened a criminal investigation into the violence, including allegations of unauthorized demonstrations and resistance to police.
With both factions preparing competing roadmaps, one pushing for swift elections and the other for institutional consolidation, the CHP remains locked in a volatile internal struggle over who will ultimately shape its leadership and direction.
