29.05.2026 14:30
As Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu returns to the CHP chairmanship by court order, preparing for a show of strength at the party headquarters tomorrow, the camp of suspended Özgür Özel focuses on collecting delegate signatures for an extraordinary electoral congress. Meanwhile, Aydın Metropolitan Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu, who switched to the AK Party after claiming to have been ostracized for supporting Kılıçdaroğlu, reportedly commented on the ongoing chaos: "It's an internal matter of the CHP; the process seems bound to be painful."
The Republican People's Party (CHP) has essentially split in two following the historic leadership crisis that began with a court decision. After the Ankara Regional Court of Justice 36th Civil Chamber's ruling annulling the congress, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who took over the chairmanship, is going to the field to rally the organization; while the Özgür Özel camp has played the congress card by leveraging delegate power.
KILIÇDAROĞLU WILL SPEAK AT HEADQUARTERS TOMORROW
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who returned to the party headquarters after the court decision, will meet with party members and the organization at the CHP Headquarters tomorrow at 2:00 PM. Kılıçdaroğlu's team has completed preparations for this critical address and printed special posters for the event, which they aim to turn into a show of force. The following slogans stand out on the posters:
- Clean Politics, Strong Republic
- You Are Not Alone, We Are With You, Hero Kemal
ÖZGÜR ÖZEL CAMP DOES NOT GIVE UP
Özgür Özel and his team, who lost their seat due to the court decision, are not backing down. The Özel camp, planning to officially initiate the extraordinary elective congress process after the holiday, relies on their dominance over the delegates. According to the CHP charter, if the notarized signatures of the absolute majority of the total number of congress members are collected, the item of "election and vote of confidence" can be added to the extraordinary congress agenda. Özel supporters aim to easily gather the absolute majority of congress delegates and bring the Kılıçdaroğlu administration back to the ballot box.
NOTABLE STATEMENT FROM ÇERÇİOĞLU
During these heated hours in the CHP, a comment by Aydın Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu, who previously resigned from the CHP and joined the AK Party, claiming she was being purged within the party for supporting Kılıçdaroğlu, has reached the backstage corridors. It was learned that Çerçioğlu made the following assessment to her close circle regarding the chaos in the CHP: "It's an internal matter of the CHP... The process seems like it will be painful. We'll wait and see."
HER PREVIOUS STATEMENTS ALSO MADE HEADLINES
Çerçioğlu, in a past statement, had said that she was being punished for standing by Kılıçdaroğlu during the congress process, stating, "They treated me this way because I supported Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu," and reacted to the attitude of the internal opposition towards her.