Behind the scenes of the knife attack on a deputy in Gaziantep: Claim of "He attacked because he couldn't be appointed"

18.08.2026 22:31

A district chairmanship crisis emerged after the knife attack on YENİ Party deputy Melih Meriç in Gaziantep. According to journalist Barış Yarkadaş, Seydi Ahmet Keleş, the former CHP Oğuzeli district chair who resigned from the CHP and joined the YENİ Party, asked Meriç, who has the authority to make appointments, to appoint him as district chair. When his request was rejected, it was alleged that Keleş, who held Meriç responsible, carried out the attack for this reason.

A striking claim has emerged regarding the knife attack on YENİ Parti Deputy Melih Meriç in Gaziantep by former CHP Oğuzeli District Chair Seydi Ahmet Keleş. Journalist Barış Yarkadaş alleged that the attack stemmed from a disagreement over an appointment related to the Oğuzeli District Chairmanship.

"HE REQUESTED THE DISTRICT CHAIRMANSHIP"

According to Yarkadaş, Seydi Ahmet Keleş, who resigned from the CHP and joined YENİ Parti, wanted to be appointed to the position of Oğuzeli District Chair within the party.

Yarkadaş claimed that Keleş requested this role from Melih Meriç, who had been authorized to appoint district chairs, but held Meriç responsible when the desired appointment did not materialize.

"HE HELD MERIÇ RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT BEING APPOINTED"

In his assessment of the background of the incident, Yarkadaş made the following statements:

"Seydi Keleş, former district chair of Oğuzeli who resigned from the CHP, requested the Yeni Parti Oğuzeli District Chairmanship from Melih Meriç, who had been authorized to appoint district chairs. When he was not appointed, he held Yeni Parti Deputy Melih Meriç responsible for this and showed his reaction in an unacceptable way through a knife attack."

This claim has brought with it assessments that the attack occurred due to a dispute over positions and roles within the political party.

KELEŞ HAD BEEN RE-ELECTED DISTRICT CHAIR IN THE CHP

Seydi Ahmet Keleş had been re-elected as district chair at the CHP Oğuzeli District Congress held in September 2025, receiving 78 votes out of 128 delegates. His rival in the congress, Mustafa Dinçkan, received 50 votes.

In his statement at the time, Keleş said they would work to make the CHP the first party in Oğuzeli. Melih Meriç was also among those present at the same congress.

Both figures had resigned from their parties after Özgür Özel founded YENİ Parti and sided with Özel.