21.05.2026 22:20
After the Ankara 36th Regional Court of Appeals' decision to annul the congress, the groundwork for a new era in the CHP is being laid. Following the official end of Özgür Özel's term and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu taking over, Barış Yarkadaş, one of Kılıçdaroğlu's close aides, responded to the question "Is an early congress on the horizon?" Stating during a live broadcast that the party's congress process will start from scratch, Yarkadaş said Kılıçdaroğlu did not return to stay permanently in his position and added, "Kemal Bey will not run for office at the end of the year."
After the Ankara 36th Regional Court of Appeal's historic "absolute nullity" decision regarding CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress, political backrooms were virtually set ablaze. Following the downfall of Özgür Özel's administration and the reinstatement of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, former CHP deputy Barış Yarkadaş, one of Kılıçdaroğlu's closest associates, answered the single question on everyone's mind.
Speaking on TV100, Yarkadaş made significant statements, putting an end to the eagerly anticipated possibility of an 'early congress'.
"NO POSSIBILITY OF AN EARLY CONGRESS; THE PROCESS WILL RESTART FROM SCRATCH"
Barış Yarkadaş stated that convening a congress in CHP immediately after the court decision is not legally or procedurally possible. Yarkadaş outlined the phased roadmap Kılıçdaroğlu will follow upon officially taking over the party administration, noting that the process will begin from the lowest level.
According to the roadmap shared by Yarkadaş, the process will proceed as follows:
Phase 1: First, neighborhood delegates will be re-elected from scratch.
Phase 2: Following neighborhood elections, district and provincial delegates and chairs will be determined.
Phase 3: After completing all this grassroots organization, a decision for a grand congress will be made in the final stage for the election of the party leader.
"KEMAL BEY WILL NOT BE A CANDIDATE"
Yarkadaş claimed that at the end of this entire process, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will not permanently run for the party leadership again. Yarkadaş made the following statements on the matter:
"Kemal Bey will not be a candidate at the end of the year. He'll say: 'I came, I cleaned up the party, I steered it to a safe harbor. We will elect new leaders with our delegates chosen through congresses.' and ultimately, a new party leader will be elected."
"HE WILL GUIDE THE PARTY TO A SAFE POINT AND LEAVE IT"
Commenting on the historic decision by the Ankara 36th Regional Court of Appeal, Barış Yarkadaş emphasized that Kılıçdaroğlu's primary mission in this process is not to settle into the seat but to restore the party. According to Yarkadaş, after these major legal crises, Kılıçdaroğlu will move the party into a democratic and secure congress environment and hand over the reins to a newly elected party leader.