05.06.2026 18:20
Following the court's 'absolute nullity' decision, the MYK under Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who returned to the CHP Chairmanship, convened for a second time at the headquarters. Speaking after the meeting, where the cancellation of expulsions, a dialogue committee to be established with the Özgür Özel administration, and the group meeting to be held in Parliament were discussed, Party Spokesperson Müslim Sarı said, "CHP Chairman Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will deliver his group speech and hold the group meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly on Tuesday."
The Central Executive Board (CEB), determined by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who returned to the position of CHP General Chairman after the 'absolute nullity' decision from the court, convened at the headquarters.
SECOND CEB MEETING UNDER KILIÇDAROĞLU'S CHAIRMANSHIP In the second meeting held under Kılıçdaroğlu's chairmanship, the CHP Group Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, the dialogue committee planned to be established with the Özgür Özel administration, the letter sent by the High Disciplinary Board (HDB) to the CEB regarding the cancellation of expulsions after November 4-5, 2023, and the new roadmap were on the agenda.
It was also learned that CEB members made presentations related to their respective fields.
PARTY SPOKESPERSON SARI: TURKEY WILL GO TO AN ELECTION SOMEWHERE AT THE END OF 2027 On the other hand, CHP Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Müslim Sarı held a press conference regarding the CEB agenda after the meeting concluded. CHP's Sarı stated that the meeting proceeded within two main frameworks, saying, “One is evaluations regarding the agenda, evaluations regarding Turkey's agenda. The other is evaluations internal to the party and regarding our party. These were particularly evaluations concerning the party's current situation and possible roadmaps.”
Sarı argued that inflation rates in Turkey will not remain below 30 percent for a long time, stating, “Because an election is coming. Turkey will go to an election somewhere in 2027, I don't know, perhaps somewhere at the end of 2026, but essentially somewhere at the end of 2027. The election is approaching, and as the election approaches, we will enter a period where an election economy will be implemented and budget deficits will increase. Thus, we will enter a period where interest rates and credit conditions will be loosened. And this will skyrocket inflation for the sake of significantly increasing growth in Turkey through demand. Therefore, we have no good news for broad social segments. The upcoming period will be one where civil servants, retirees, and minimum wage earners will be crushed more by inflation. It is possible to foresee this today.”
“DOOR FOR DIALOGUE WITH THE ÖZEL ADMINISTRATION IS OPEN” Sarı recalled that he had previously stated they had initiated a study to eliminate the de facto situation within the party, saying, “We said that let's form an invitation committee, that with our friends from our side, including friends from the previous period, we could and wanted to discuss a roadmap that reflects their ideas and thoughts as well as ours, and that extricates the party from this deadlock within the framework of existing legal rules and sets a congress before it. However, I regretfully see that despite our persistent stance—and we are still in the same place. As the administration of the Republican People's Party, including our Chairman Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, we, our CEB members, stand in the same place; we are open to dialogue and conversation. But shortly after we made these statements, some statements came from our other friends that were not quite in line with the spirit of this; harsh statements came. Despite all this, I want to state that a door for dialogue is open.”
Müslim Sarı “GOOD-FAITH NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE” Sarı stated that some party members have been meeting with both sides on their own initiative during the process, saying, “Three of our deputies and our political elder brothers who have held important positions in the party in the past have a shuttle diplomacy with both the Chairman of the Republican People's Party, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, and Mr. Özgür Özel. They have implemented a shuttle diplomacy involving other important individuals who have previously served in the party. These meetings are still ongoing; no consensus has been reached yet, I want to point that out. Good-faith negotiations continue. Also, as you may know, three of our important Metropolitan Mayors met with Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu this week. They were also going to meet with Mr. Özgür Özel, but we don't know if that meeting took place. Additionally, as a good-faith initiative, our friends from the previous administration requested a meeting by linking a lawyer friend of ours with a lawyer friend from their side. We view this request positively. This meeting will also take place in the coming days. Therefore, these good-faith negotiations continue. That is, dialogue is not completely closed; it is not shut down.”
“WE WILL EVALUATE THE EXPULSIONS CASE BY CASE” Evaluating the path to be followed regarding those expelled from the party in the previous period, Sarı said, “There is a wrong perception in the public on this issue, and I want to correct it. It was perceived as if the HDB convened and annulled and invalidated the expulsion decisions taken by the previous administration. And there is a misunderstanding that all these expelled friends have automatically returned to the Republican People's Party in a cumulative manner; let us correct that. The HDB took a principle decision and says, as a principle, that decisions taken by a board that has become absolutely invalid should also be considered null and void in principle. However, it made a recommendation not to accept all these files outright but to collectively reconsider them. We will evaluate this in the coming days, but we will evaluate it case by case. In the end, if there have been some expulsions that we also cannot accept, we will not approve them; we will implement the expulsion mechanisms, we will accept it. But if truly some evaluations we consider unjust were made in the past, we will restore those rights.”
KILIÇDAROĞLU'S CALL FOR CLEANSING: WE ARE NOTING EVERYTHING Regarding the path to be followed in response to Kılıçdaroğlu's call for cleansing, Sarı said, “We will not make a disciplinary issue out of conflicts or activities that we see as part of an internal party competition or struggle within a revanchist understanding. We have no such thing. Therefore, these have always been elements and topics we have experienced in the past as part of the culture of objection in the Republican People's Party, and we remain in the same place. We also want to operate internal party democracy. But we have red lines. I previously stated that we are noting practices that exceed these red lines. Outbursts and statements that damage the corporate identity of the party; these harm the Republican People's Party, they harm the corporate identity of the party.Starting with our esteemed Chairman, all of us, those who have served in the party, and those who have previously served even if not currently, must comply with this. We have a principle decision on this matter. We will proceed with our processes within the framework of this principle decision. We are monitoring everything, taking notes,” he assessed.
“OUR DECISIONS ON THE GROUP MEETING ARE FINAL” Evaluating the issue of whether Kılıçdaroğlu would speak at the group meeting on Tuesday, Sarı said, “In our regulation concerning political parties, it is very clearly stated that the group chair works under the authority of the general chair. Therefore, this is also an important legal argument. I am briefly touching on these, but there are other sub-headings, and I do not want to elaborate on them too much. We also argue that this election was an irregular group election. As you know, group elections must be conducted according to a specific procedure. This was a group election that did not comply with procedural requirements in terms of both agenda and time, as well as formal conditions. We had notified the Grand National Assembly of Turkey that we do not accept these group elections, in previous periods, last week, and this week as well. Therefore, there are many legal arguments, and I do not want to delve into legal issues. But let me tell you politically: Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the Chairman of the Republican People's Party, will deliver the group speech and hold the group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on Tuesday. Our decisions on this matter are final,” he stated.
KILIS MAYOR HAKAN BILECEN'S RESIGNATION “THE UPCOMING PROCESS IS IMPORTANT” Regarding the resignation of Kilis Mayor Hakan Bilecen from the party, Sarı said, “We had learned earlier that an investigation was launched in Kilis. We also found out that this colleague, this mayor, had been in contact with the AKP and held some meetings. In his statement, I see that he said he would remain somewhat independent. We have not yet made a comprehensive assessment on this issue. But this part of your question is important for me. This shows how much we need to stay away from political debates that could undermine the morale of our colleagues within the party, the authorized bodies of the Republican People's Party, mayors, deputies, provincial heads, and our organization. The Republican People's Party needs to quickly recover and move away from such discussions. The upcoming process is extremely important. Time is precious and valuable. We must carry out this process together without causing new divisions, I believe,” he said.