A considerable group of dissidents in the Republican People's Party (CHP) are moving to take advantage of the latest commotion and push for a snap vote to bring back the party’s ex-leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, according to reports in Turkish media.
Türkiye’s main opposition party has been divided in two again after chair Özgür Özel decided to welcome President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan standing at the opening of Parliament’s new legislative year earlier this week.
Nearly half of the CHP delegation refused to enter the general assembly in protest and a smaller group refused to stand up at all, claiming the CHP should not be changing its stance since Erdoğan’s “remains the same.”
According to the CHP administration, Özel’s decision is part of the “normalization with the government” strategy, which has elicited positive returns, especially from conservative, undecided voters.
But for pro-Kılıçdaroğlu dissidents, unhappy with Özel’s administration since his election last November, the move came as a surprise and an opportunity to turn the tide in their favor.
In a post on X, Kılıçdaroğlu himself, without naming names, sent his “salutations to all CHP lawmakers who made our party proud with their patriotic stance.”
“Us CHP members only stand up for the people,” Kılıçdaroğlu wrote.
Özel responded that Kılıçdaroğlu’s description of CHP lawmakers who stood up for Erdoğan was “off-putting and upsetting.”
Turkish media, citing insider rumors, wrote that pro-Kılıçdaroğlu members feeling “marginalized” by Özel’s administration were looking to draw in delegates to secure their support for what could be an extraordinary congress meeting in the coming months, which would mean an early intra-party election.
The CHP has been suffering a division between supporters of Özel, those still loyal to Kılıçdaroğlu, and the party’s popular mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoğlu, since losing last year’s general elections.
Imamoğlu helped Özel oust Kılıçdaroğlu by mounting a campaign for change after Kılıçdaroğlu failed to wrestle the Turkish presidency from Erdoğan last year.
Özel, who has denounced any plans to run for president in 2028, is busy sidelining dissidents looking to bring Kılıçdaroğlu back.
He has been calling for an early election but dismissed any claims that the party would nominate Imamoğlu as a presidential candidate. Imamoglu has since been building a steady supporter base – having 15 of his supporters in the 60-seat party council – to run for CHP chair and ultimately president in 2028.
Istanbul mayor’s presidential hopes, however, are somewhat dashed by a lawsuit that seeks to ban him from politics, as well as Kılıçdaroğlu’s ambitions in last year’s general elections.
Kılıçdaroğlu, who is said to be attempting to re-enter the political arena after a not-so-graceful exit last year, insists he doesn’t have any personal ambitions but admits there is a “need for change in the party’s regulations.”
The CHP is encouraged by the gains in the March 31 municipal elections and views a comprehensive change in its bylaws and a thaw with Erdoğan’s ruling alliance, including the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), could earn the support of conventional voters and swinging electorate in upcoming elections.
