22.05.2026 01:00
Özgür Özel, who was temporarily removed from his duty following the 'absolute nullity' decision regarding the 38th Ordinary Congress of the CHP, addressed the crowd gathered in front of the party headquarters. In part of his speech, pointing at the headquarters building with his hand, he said: 'From this moment on, until the danger is eliminated, I am staying in this building, in my office, and I am not going anywhere until it is decided not by the judicial arms of the AK Party, but again by the members of the Republican People's Party who will govern the CHP.'
The 36th Civil Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Appeals ruled to temporarily suspend current Chairman Özgür Özel and the party administration from duty in the CHP congress case, and ordered former Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his administration to take over.
“I AM IN THIS BUILDING, IN MY ROOM, I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE”
After the decision, Özgür Özel convened an extraordinary meeting of the Central Executive Board (MYK), and following the meeting, he first held a press conference at the Headquarters, then addressed the crowd gathered in front of the party building.
In his speech there, Özel pointed to the Headquarters building and said, “From this moment on, until the danger is eliminated, until it is not the judicial arms of the AK Party but the Republicans again who decide who will run the CHP, I am in this building, in my room, I am not going anywhere.”
“THEY FEAR ONLY YOU, THE SQUARES”
Özel's statements are as follows: “I said, ‘The Republican People's Party is Turkey's first party, just like on the day it was founded.’ Here, friends, here, comrades, voters and non-voters, this is the issue. Supposedly, this is our crime. Our crime is winning, our crime is becoming the first party after 47 years, our crime is defeating the AK Party, our crime is nominating someone who defeated them four times as a presidential candidate. Now, so that the lights of this building go out early in the next election, so that the Republican People's Party returns to its years of defeat, so that the CHP does not come to power and the AK Party's dark order continues, a coup attempt has been staged today against the party founded by Atatürk. We know these coup plotters from March 19, 2024. These coup plotters come with judicial power. They come not with tanks, cannons, rifles, or camouflage; they come in judges' robes and prosecutors' robes. They understand nothing of right, law, conscience, sweat, or the rights of others. Just as they saw you in Saraçhane and backed down, they fear only you, the squares. Today we stand together in the garden of our ancestral home. 81 provinces are standing. All our districts are standing. I state with great satisfaction that today we are standing, and the knees of the coup plotters are shaking. From here, I ask you, I ask Turkey. Are you ready to repel this coup attempt? Are you with me? Here, I invite everyone who wants poverty, misery, hunger, and unemployment to end in Turkey and this government to go, everyone who says, ‘Let me decide who governs me,’ to the struggle, resistance, and squares.
“TODAY DEMOCRACY IS BEING PROTECTED”
Today, our Mayor Ekrem reacted to our situation with the determination, friendliness, and warmth you all have followed. I convey the solidarity feelings of Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who is currently in London due to his schedule but wants to cut short his five-day program and return to Turkey, to Ankara, on the first available transport. I sincerely thank all opposition parties without exception, who have canceled all their programs, convened or will convene their MYKs, and conveyed their solidarity feelings, not to the Republican People's Party, but to democracy, to which we all owe our existence, and to their party leaders. I sincerely thank the Şanlıurfa Bar Association, which made the first statement, and all bar associations that have shown a firm stance against the efforts to redesign the Republican People's Party through the judiciary. I sincerely thank all unions, all professional chambers, all associations, and all non-governmental organizations, whose representatives are here or not, who have promised support to our resistance with separate statements but always with the same determined emphasis.
“OUT OF THEIR AMBITION, THEY PLAY WITH THE NATION'S BREAD”
Today, in the last half hour, half an hour after the decision, this decision, which caused the burning of 10 billion dollars in reserves and dropped the stock market by 8 percent, will bring a dark day to the Turkish economy tomorrow. We are saddened by this. We are concerned. But our concern is not for today. Those who made this mistake last year on March 19, those who accumulated a total of 60 billion dollars in reserves, inflamed inflation that the whole world had reduced to single digits. That's why people are struggling with one of the highest inflations in history. The world has defeated inflation. Inflation in the world is 2-3-4 percent. But in Turkey, it is 32 percent. Turkey is first in Europe in inflation. Fifth in the world. Outside of us, those with higher inflation than us are bombed, under bombardment Iran, civil war-torn Sudan, and Argentina with its years-long inflation problem. There is no other country with higher inflation than us. Turkey's one-month inflation is higher than the annual inflation of 100 countries. All this is due to this irresponsibility. So these coups, these stock market drops, these reserve burnings, erode the salary of our police colleague providing our security, erode the pensioners' salaries, reduce the purchasing power of minimum wage earners. Now, those who play with this nation's bread for their own ambition must get the necessary response from this nation. Will we teach these insolent coup plotters their place?
“IT IS NOT THE JUDICIAL ARMS OF THE AK PARTY, BUT CHP MEMBERS WHO DECIDE”
Dear friends, of course our organizations have made the necessary planning. We are on guard, in resistance to protect our ancestral home. From here, I declare to all of Turkey and the world that today, from now on, until the danger is eliminated and until it is not the judicial arms of the AK Party but the Republicans who decide again who will run the Republican People's Party, I am in this building, in my room, I am not going anywhere. This is a struggle. But this is not a personal struggle of Özgür Özel, nor a personal ambition struggle of the architects of change behind me, facing you. We reject the comfortable, cozy, eternal opposition seats offered to us. We reject being the opposition to His Majesty with the determination to come to power. We were not and will not be the opposition of the palace. Are we ready to protect not the party, but the country's future? Are you with me to write a great victory, a great epic together? I call on everyone my voice reaches, who listens to my voice and values my words. The day is today, the time is now. The coming period is when we will save the future together, then take pride in writing this great story together, and live through the greatest legacy we will leave to our children and grandchildren. Come when called, support the struggle, do not leave the squares. They fear only the squares. Are you with me? Are you with me? From here, are you with me to grow these squares, the crowds in Saraçhane, the crowds of March 19, rising and multiplying, growing square by square until the coup plotter backs down?
“WE WILL STOP LIFE IF NECESSARY”
Dear friends, the youth are calling. ‘General strike, general resistance,’ they say.
To achieve this together, we first need to be many, to be united, to raise our voices, and if they do not understand these crowds, to stop life if necessary, but we must fight. Are you with me? I am warning from here. Not as the Chairman of the main opposition party, but by valuing every component, member, number, and vote of the opposition without disregard, and by prioritizing a unified struggle for a common future. From the far right to the far left, embracing everyone who fights for the people, for the nation, without playing the big brother or boss, we are here together for a shoulder-to-shoulder struggle. And I say this: You will see the power of the squares, you will hear the voice of the silent majority. If necessary, we will stop life. If necessary, we will use our power from consumption. But we will not surrender. I am not responsible for anything that happens after this. The responsible ones are these coup plotters. The only rule, the only demand, is not to be proven wrong when we are right. Therefore, we will walk while preserving our respect and love for security forces or everyone around us, but never getting stuck on unlawful orders, unjust barriers, or obstacles in our path. I am warning from here. Now we are in front of the father's house, now we are in front of the provinces in all 81 provinces. We are showing our democratic reaction from here. But if this coup does not retreat, if it does not know its place, if it stands against this nation in an unjust manner, I swear we will not stop, we will march wherever we need to. Today we are all here together. We all know this together: There is no salvation alone, either all together or none of us.
"WE WILL NOT ABANDON THE SQUARES"
We thank all friends, labor and solidarity forces, brother parties, unions, and all professional organizations. Now we are sending off guests other than the watchmen and those assigned, safely to their homes. But tomorrow, are you ready to come when called for the struggle, for resistance, to make history? Are you ready to not leave the squares? If they do not understand the square, are you ready to start marching? Then go to sleep now, let them think. I love you all. I am glad you exist. Will we walk together? Will we walk together? Come on, let's walk then, friends.