The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) may never recover from the deep divide it has suffered, as indicated by developments on Tuesday. Rival events by the ousted administration and incumbent one made it clear that the two camps in Türkiye’s oldest party have definitely split their ways.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, reinstated by a court verdict to the seat he lost to Özgür Özel in 2023 during an allegedly shady election mired with vote-buying allegations, addressed supporters at the party’s headquarters. Özel, who claims he is still the legitimate chair of the party, rallied supporters at Parliament in the meantime, now under the title of the party’s “parliamentary group chair.” The de facto demotion, however, apparently played into the hands of Özel, who managed to convince 96 lawmakers of his party to attend the group meeting on Tuesday. Kılıçdaroğlu had only 18 lawmakers listening to his speech at the headquarters. Curiously, 23 lawmakers shunned attending any of the events that have been the highlights of the deepening rift between rival camps of the party. Chaotic scenes, on the other hand, unfolded outside Parliament as those supporting Kılıçdaroğlu confronted the Özel supporters.
