Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay announced that he was leaving the CHP with "great sadness," arguing that recent developments within the party had caused serious damage to the political movement founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
In a statement shared on social media, Tugay pointed to the fallout from the controversial "absolute nullification" ruling, as well as a string of disciplinary measures and dismissals within the party structure.
A recent court ruling effectively restored former CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to the party leadership, triggering an escalating power struggle between rival factions competing for control of the party’s organization, parliamentary group and future direction. Kılıçdaroğlu, who lost a 2023 election to Özel, returned to his former tenure in May when a court ruled that Özel’s election was the result of a vote-buying scheme in the intra-party vote. In the wake of an "absolute nullification" verdict for the Özel administration, Kılıçdaroğlu has pledged to clear the CHP of all "corruption and wrongdoings it is associated with." This "cleansing" as Kılıçdaroğlu branded involves parting ways with lawmakers, mayors and other influential names in the party, mostly those implicated in corruption probes and sex scandals.
Several Turkish media outlets reported that figures close to Özel have accelerated preparations for a possible breakaway movement and could announce details of a new political formation soon.
Tugay described the removal of Izmir's provincial chair, alongside other party officials, as an unacceptable decision that disregarded the political will of the city.
Tugay said he had supported calls for an extraordinary party congress and had signed efforts aimed at restoring what he described as a democratic management environment within the CHP. However, he argued that those efforts had failed to produce results and warned that party members would continue to face what he characterized as unjust treatment.
The mayor said Türkiye needs a CHP that operates free from manipulation, tutelage and political engineering, adding that he would continue to support those principles despite leaving the party.
Tugay also announced that he will remain in office as mayor and continue serving Izmir as an independent politician.
"With the hope that I may one day return, I am resigning from my membership in the Republican People's Party," he said.
