A deepening power struggle within Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) escalated Thursday after 28 members resigned from the party’s governing council, while party leaders moved to expel nine lawmakers allied with Özgür Özel, highlighting a growing institutional crisis following a court ruling that invalidated recent party congresses.
The latest developments exposed widening divisions between supporters of reinstated leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and those backing Özel, who claims he is still the legitimate chair of the party; Özel rallied supporters at Parliament in the meantime, now under the title of the party’s “parliamentary group chair.”
CHP lawmaker Zeynel Emre announced that 28 members of the Party Assembly (PM), the party’s highest decision-making body between congresses, had formally submitted their resignations through a notary public.
“The congress must be convened from this point forward. Failing to do so would be a crime,” Emre told reporters at Parliament. “If they remain and insist on continuing, they will also be committing the offense of unlawfully assuming duties.”
Emre argued that under CHP bylaws, the Party Assembly loses its ability to function when membership falls below a required threshold following resignations and replacement procedures.
