The Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Monday descended further into polarization and chaos as ousted chair Özgür Özel sought a new path out of the turmoil.

Özel was removed from the office last month by a court ruling in a lawsuit, where his associates were accused of buying votes for him in a 2023 intraparty election.

The court reinstated his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, as chairman and media reports suggested he is determined to clear the name of the party of corruption allegations.

A report by the Turkish-language newspaper Sabah said Kılıçdaroğlu will unveil a new administrative committee of the party this week as part of a "purge” or "cleansing,” something the veteran politician had repeatedly pledged.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s supporters advocate the establishment of an "ethics board,” comprising experts, that will tackle the situation of CHP members implicated in corruption cases and will look into expenditures of the Özel administration since they took office in 2023. Any irregularities will be reported to the authorities. The board will likely refer corruption suspects to the board for suspension of their memberships.

Sources in the CHP told Sabah that the "cleansing process” may take a few months. They added that Kılıçdaroğlu had the authority to reject any call for re-election in the party (as demanded by Özel and his supporters), citing the party charter that suspends such processes in a "state of emergency.”

Kılıçdaroğlu is also expected to postpone setting a date for a new election until after the highest court of appeals upholds or rejects absolute nullification of the Özel administration. Any preliminary for the election of delegates who will be eligible for the party general election will also face strict scrutiny, as party sources say the CHP still has delegates with "dubious legitimacy.”

Purging corruption

In a speech at the CHP headquarters Saturday, Kılıçdaroğlu vowed a purge of corruption in the party.

"We are members of the CHP. We do not harbor hatred against anyone. We confront people for moral reasons, not for personal grudges. Cleansing is key. This is not a purge but a rebirth for us,” he said.

The CHP saw several mayors, including former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, detained or arrested on charges of corruption in the past two years. Several investigations were linked to each other as prosecutors pointed out criminal networks thriving on bribery and tender-rigging.

"If a party’s internal democracy is damaged, the country’s democracy is also damaged. If a party administration had problems with moral legitimacy. They cannot claim to be working for democracy in Türkiye. We entrusted the CHP headquarters to a new administration, but they led it to the courtrooms. I want to know who made this party entrusted to us (by Atatürk) amid talk of the negotiations at nightclubs,” he said Saturday, referring to allegations of negotiations with CHP delegates to vote for Özel in return for bribes.

"First, the CHP will be cleansed and then Türkiye will be cleansed. We will not only clean up the past; we will also build the future. We will bring together all the honorable sons and daughters of this country. Do not be afraid. We will protect our innocent mayors, but we will not turn a blind eye to those who have been tainted by corruption,” Kılıçdaroğlu added.

His remarks turned the spotlight to some prominent members of the CHP, including lawmakers with immunity who are investigated by prosecutors. Burhanettin Bulut and Özgür Karabat face lifting of their immunities over allegations of receiving bribes.

Karabat and Bulut are recipients of bribes according to an indictment on Aziz İhsan Aktaş, a businessman who was awarded lucrative tenders by CHP-run municipalities in exchange for bribes. Karabat claimed to have called Aktaş before the 2024 municipal elections and asked for cash for Imamoğlu’s campaign and threatened not to pay advance payments to him from the tenders if they did not donate.

According to statements of eyewitnesses, TL 5 million ($108,936) in cash was delivered to Karabat’s office on March 6, 2024.

Meanwhile, Bulut faces an indictment for receiving a bribe of $1 million. Aktaş confessed to investigators that he handed over the cash to Celal Tekin, husband of Oya Tekin, CHP mayor for Seyhan district in southern Türkiye. Tekin and Bulut shared the cash. The investigation revealed that Aktaş’s company, which won a tender from the Seyhan municipality, obtained its progress payment after the bribe was delivered.

Özel’s petition

As the Kılıçdaroğlu administration seeks to stamp out corruption, Özgür Özel, who now holds the title of CHP’s parliamentary group chair, announced Monday that they launched a petition for an extraordinary congress, for a new election within the party.

Özel told reporters that they needed more than 550 signatures for the call to an election and it was an easy task for them.

He added that they were advised by legal experts that the current process in the party cannot block any future election. "Indeed, those (reinstated) have no other task than organizing a new congress,” he said.

He said it was wrong that a party "which introduced (voting) to Türkiye was governed without an election.”

"This hurts the party. We are afraid that dense anger on the street will evolve into a negative development targeting politics,” he said, in a veiled threat of riots.

The CHP supporters have staged similar riots after former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu was arrested on corruption charges last year.