26.07.2026 23:10
Tension rose in the closed meeting held to determine the new Parliamentary Group Chair of the CHP. Elazığ Deputy Gürsel Erol withdrew his candidacy, claiming that Kılıçdaroğlu interfered with the elections. While it was reported to the press that some deputies reacted and left the hall, as a result of the voting, the CHP's new Group Chair became Tekirdağ Deputy Faik Öztrak.
Tensions rose in the closed group meeting of the CHP during the election for the TBMM Group Chairmanship. Gürsel Erol, who claimed that the administration of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu intervened, withdrew his candidacy, while some deputies reacted to the situation and left the meeting. Faik Öztrak won the election.
39 DEPUTIES ATTENDED
After Özgür Özel and 90 deputies left the party, the CHP held a closed group meeting in Ankara to determine the new TBMM Group Chairman. Of the 44 deputies invited to the meeting, 5 did not attend due to excuses.
ALLEGATION: "KILIÇDAROĞLU INTERVENED"
Elazığ Deputy Gürsel Erol, who received 19 votes in the first round of the election, went to the podium after the second round where he received 17 votes and announced his withdrawal from the candidacy. Erol, who argued that the Kılıçdaroğlu administration directly interfered in the elections, claimed that pressure was put on him to withdraw his candidacy.
HE PROPOSED ENGİN ALTAY
Erol, who also suggested that Faik Öztrak withdraw his candidacy like himself, proposed Engin Altay as Group Chairman. However, Altay did not accept the position, and Öztrak did not withdraw his candidacy, becoming the CHP's new TBMM Group Chairman as a result of the vote. Some deputies who reacted to the events in the process left the meeting.
REACTION TO "INTRAPARTY MONOPOLIZATION"
After withdrawing his candidacy, Gürsel Erol published a statement on his social media account, stating that there is a monopolization in intraparty politics, and used the following expressions:
"The Republican People's Party is the party of those who produce ideas, who can object, and who can speak on behalf of the people, not those who obey. Unfortunately, it is well known that there has been a monopolization in intraparty politics recently. The 103-year-old Republican People's Party has accepted that intraparty elections should be shaped by the free will of deputies. I believe that no General Chairman's or political group's will should override the preferences of deputies. Our struggle is not for individuals, but for the democratic traditions of the CHP and the future of Turkey."