Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who returned to the chairmanship of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) by pledging to eliminate “thieves and bribe-takers through cleansing,” is intent on carrying out a historic transformation of Türkiye’s oldest party. In less than three months, he has reshuffled the party’s top cadres, and more is on the way, especially through changes to the party’s delegate system. Some delegates have acknowledged that they were paid by associates of Kılıçdaroğlu’s rival, Özgür Özel, in a 2023 party election that Kılıçdaroğlu lost.
While party organizations are being completely overhauled, most lawmakers and mayors suspected of corruption have either been referred to disciplinary boards or subsequently forced to resign and join the New Party (YP). The YP was founded by Özel in July, and although it has reduced the CHP’s presence in Parliament, it is tainted by allegations of corruption involving CHP-run municipalities, whose mayors are mostly supportive of the YP.
In the final stage of the purge pledged by Kılıçdaroğlu, attention has now turned to the party’s delegate structure.
In this context, all eyes in the CHP are on Sept. 9, which is also considered the party’s founding anniversary. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is expected to make important statements on the day when various events will be held. It is anticipated that Kılıçdaroğlu himself will announce the long-awaited congress schedule to the public on that date. CHP provincial and district heads will also be in Ankara for the special occasion.
As part of the congress process in the CHP, elections will be held for provincial and district leadership positions, while congress delegates will be determined from scratch. This will, in a sense, eliminate the controversial delegate structure that has caused major problems for the party for the past three years. The CHP’s grand congress is expected to be convened quickly following the Court of Cassation’s ruling on absolute nullity in the case involving vote-buying allegations in the 2023 intra-party election. The aim is to complete the congress processes at the provincial and district levels by the time the Court of Cassation issues its ruling, which will either validate or nullify Kılıçdaroğlu’s reinstatement.
Bribery allegations overshadowed the CHP’s 2023 congress, in which Kılıçdaroğlu unexpectedly lost the chairmanship by a very narrow margin. Rumors that Özel and Imamoğlu had bought the votes of hundreds of delegates in exchange for money were brought before the courts, and the allegations were effectively confirmed by the absolute-nullity ruling issued by the regional appeals court recently. Former Istanbul Mayor Imamoğlu, who was arrested last year on charges of municipal corruption, was a key figure within the CHP. Prior to the intra-party election, he was caught on video at a meeting where he schemed with other party figures to support Özel against Kılıçdaroğlu, who had helped his rise in the party.
Özel’s supporters have accused Kılıçdaroğlu of attempting to undermine the CHP’s prospects of winning the next presidential election under Özel’s leadership, with some of his allies going as far as branding the former chair a “traitor.”
Kılıçdaroğlu, meanwhile, has continued to challenge Özel and his supporters, deepening the political rupture that eventually contributed to the establishment of the YP.
In August, the CHP referred 49 members to disciplinary proceedings over allegations that they worked for another political party while remaining members of the CHP, party spokesperson Müslim Sarı announced. Sarı said the party had previously warned that working for another political party while remaining within the CHP would be considered both unethical and subject to disciplinary rules.
