09.06.2026 13:50
The long-running crisis over "who will hold the group meeting" within CHP, which has continued for days following a court ruling and spilled over to the doors of Parliament, has reached its expected moment. Özgür Özel took the podium in Parliament and issued a "election" warning. In his statement, Özel said, "The public and election jurists say 'The problem is not holding the congress, but not holding it.' Let's hold the election whenever AK Party pressures us. The task here is to hold the congress before July 26 passes. Entering the election is at risk."
Two separate meetings and Özgür Özel took the podium at the meeting that began under the shadow of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Speaker's "visitor ban" decision.
"TODAY'S STANCE HERE IS VERY MEANINGFUL"
The highlights of Özel's speech are as follows:
"I do not see this as a victory, but ensuring that the elected general chairman speaks at this podium is due to the love of democracy, country, and party in the hearts of the thousands in front of Dikmen Gate and the millions in Turkey. I congratulate you. We are people of the idea of democracy; we believe in the ballot box. We respect the voter and the elected.
That is why today's stance here is very meaningful. It is not a victory, but a valuable part of a whole as much as the others. It is not surrendering. It is resistance. It is the victory of the unity of those who think about the future of the whole country."
Speaking about the anniversary of the death of Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek, Özel said, "The funeral ceremony could not fit in Manisa. We bid farewell to our brother with a ceremony only befitting Ferdi. It was up to all of us to be there. We were going to be there. We said, 'Everyone will be there.' After a while, something unexpected happened. I couldn't believe my eyes. Today, our being there was seen as an opportunity to hold a group meeting here, and a statement was made," he said.
"I WAS NEEDED HERE TODAY"
Özel continued his speech as follows:
"Whoever would come with them, whoever came to the party's door, would come. The elected general chair and administrators of the last four congresses will not be there. We saw who would come and how they planned it. The nation makes a decision, and that decision is manifested here. I consulted everyone, and finally made the decision with Ferdi's voice. I always need to go to Manisa, but something also comes up here. He would say, 'You are needed there.' I was needed here today, so I stayed here.
If you don't solve this conspiracy, you say, 'It's CHP's internal affair.' Who interferes with CHP's congress? All processes have been completed under the supervision of the Supreme Election Council (YSK). Go ahead and disregard the last four congresses. Not according to the YSK. Not according to any authority, but they assigned a court through the AK Party's judicial arms to make an impossible decision, and they turned it into a system in Turkey where no elected official's seat can be finalized."
WHAT HAPPENED?
Elected CHP Chairman Özgür Özel and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was appointed CHP Chairman by a court decision, had announced today that they would hold a group meeting in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
In the morning hours, a crowd gathered in front of the TBMM Dikmen Gate, with occasional tensions. Kılıçdaroğlu later announced that he had abandoned the group meeting decision.
Kılıçdaroğlu announced that he would make a speech at the party's headquarters building.