Provincial chairs of the Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Antalya and Kayseri were expelled from office on Tuesday. They are the latest casualties of the new administration at the party led by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Kılıçdaroğlu, reinstated to the office by a court verdict last month, has pledged to cleanse the party of corruption and shady dealings. Along with those reportedly involved in scandals, Kılıçdaroğlu also moved to fire top figures supporting his predecessor, Özgür Özel.
The party announced a reshuffle after an administrative board meeting at the headquarters, around the same time Özgür Özel, now as parliamentary group chair of the party, addressed a parliamentary meeting and called Kılıçdaroğlu to hold an intra-party election.
Almost a dozen provincial chairs were removed from office or stepped down on their own after Kılıçdaroğlu took office. Among them was Çağatay Güç, chair for the branch in Izmir, a CHP stronghold. His predecessor, Utku Gümrükçü, had to confront supporters of Güç on Monday to take office as the protests against the new administration mounted.
