In the aftermath of the ouster of Özgür Özel as chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), the party’s divide between supporters of Özel and reinstated Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu continues to grow.
This is most evident in acts of vandalism at the party’s provincial branches, where pro-Özel chairs are replaced with pro-Kılıçdaroğlu ones.
Özel himself resisted evacuation from the party’s headquarters in May, and his loyalists followed his example in their refusal to vacate party offices in provinces.
Provincial chairpersons who made headlines for their criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu, who is often branded as a “traitor” for accepting the reinstatement, are being dismissed by the new administration gradually. Repeatedly emphasizing that it will not allow a dual power structure within the party, the Kılıçdaroğlu administration is appointing new provincial chairpersons to replace those who have been removed. With these appointments, tensions over the evacuation have shifted from the party headquarters to provincial offices.
In some provinces, party buildings are not being vacated, while in others, property inside provincial headquarters is being vandalized. Walls are being covered with profanity and insulting graffiti, and in many provinces, bank accounts, vehicles and official record books have not been handed over to the new administrations. It is alleged that Özgür Özel and his associates have promised parliamentary candidacies to former provincial chairpersons who, despite repeated calls for calm, continue to fuel unrest by refusing to comply.
