Özel says CHP ‘will not surrender’ after court overturns convention
Main opposition leader Özgür Özel vowed not to “surrender” on May 21 after a court ruling stripped authority from the current administration of his Republican People’s Party (CHP), calling the decision politically motivated.
“We are the landlords here. Tenants leave, landlords remain. The true owners of this home decide who will sit in it,” Özel said in televised remarks after a marathon meeting at CHP headquarters following the ruling.
An Ankara court ruled on May 21 that the CHP’s 38th ordinary convention, where Özel defeated longtime chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, was a case of “complete nullity” due to alleged irregularities. The decision effectively reinstated Kılıçdaroğlu as party leader.
“Our crime is making the CHP the leading party after 47 years, defeating the [ruling] AKP for the first time since its founding. Our crime is being the hope of pensioners and minimum wage earners,” Özel said.
