Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was searching for a political and legal path forward on Friday after a court ruling ousted its leader and annulled its congress.
A court in Ankara on Thursday ordered the removal of Özgür Özel and the current party administration from their positions. It ruled that the 2023 party congress, during which Özel was elected chair, was invalid due to irregularities.
The court ordered that former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the party’s previous leadership temporarily take over the party’s administration.
The verdict, which is not yet final, has deepened a years-long internal rift and added uncertainty within the CHP by also voiding subsequent congresses, the new party program, bylaw changes and decisions taken under Özel’s leadership.
Özel rejected the ruling and said the party would appeal to the Supreme Election Council (YSK) and the Supreme Court of Appeals, while insisting the struggle would remain within the CHP rather than through the formation of a new political party. He also vowed to personally remain “day and night” in the CHP’s headquarters in Ankara.
The court on Friday upheld its ruling, rejecting the CHP’s appeal and leaving the party with the option to take the case to the Supreme Court of Appeals. If that court also upholds the decision, it would become final under Turkish law, ending the legal dispute over the congress.
The issue at stake is whether delegates were bribed to vote for Özel during the CHP leadership contest in November 2023. The case, brought by a former party member, has weighed on the party for years.
The Ankara court found that “the will of the delegates was corrupted” at the congress, making the leadership vote legally invalid. The ruling cited allegations that some delegates were offered money, municipal positions, jobs and other benefits in exchange for support during the congress that ended Kılıçdaroğlu’s 13-year tenure.
The CHP leadership has denied the accusations. The case was dismissed in October before later being reopened.
The ruling comes amid dozens of legal cases involving the CHP, with hundreds of party members and several mayors detained since last year in ongoing corruption investigations, including former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who has been in pre-trial detention since March 2025.
Kılıçdaroğlu led the CHP for more than a decade before unsuccessfully challenging long-serving President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2023 presidential election. Özel was chosen to replace Kılıçdaroğlu after the election defeat and sought to reposition the party.
Rival camps trade blame
The decision has effectively revived a bitter internal struggle that has simmered between Özel’s camp and Kılıçdaroğlu’s supporters since Özel’s victory.
At CHP headquarters in Ankara, supporters of Özel gathered late into the night, chanting slogans and waving flags, while police reinforced security around the building as rival claims to leadership intensified.
Inside and outside the party premises, emotions ran high. Some supporters removed a framed photograph of Kılıçdaroğlu from a display of past CHP chairs, while others tore it down and trampled it on the ground, shouting accusations against him.
In a notable early move after the ruling, Kılıçdaroğlu dismissed three party lawyers who had filed appeals against the decision, a step seen by party insiders as an attempt to quickly reassert control over the party’s legal and administrative apparatus.
Momentum within his camp appeared to grow in the wake of the ruling. According to party sources, 13-14 provincial chairpeople, including those from Adıyaman, Elazığ, Tunceli and Bingöl, contacted Kılıçdaroğlu to express support. Those same sources also claimed around 70 of the party’s 138 MPs had sent messages backing him, saying “we are with you.”
Supporters described the shift as broader than it appeared publicly, arguing that many officials had previously remained silent due to internal pressure.
Some lawmakers, however, rallied behind Özel and framed the ruling as an attempt to weaken the opposition through the courts.
CHP lawmaker Mahir Polat said the party should emerge “stronger and united” from the process, while another CHP deputy, Hüseyin Yıldız, urged members to respect the judicial decision and focus on preserving the party’s cohesion.
Outside the CHP, reactions reflected wider concern over the implications of the ruling for Turkish politics.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli called on both Kılıçdaroğlu and Özel to avoid deepening divisions and seek compromise in order to preserve the CHP’s institutional structure.
“Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu should undertake a historic responsibility in order not to hurt this deeply rooted institution and, within the framework permitted by law, he should waive his position in favor of reaching a joint formula for the future of the party,” Bahçeli said.
Kılıçdaroğlu’s path
Kılıçdaroğlu’s return has been accompanied by reports of early organizational moves and internal realignment discussions.
Party sources say he has begun consultations in Ankara on a possible road map and is expected to focus first on restoring internal order. According to CHP sources, it is considered “highly likely” that he will lead the party into the next election cycle before shaping its longer-term structure.
Kılıçdaroğlu is expected to proceed cautiously on structural changes. Sources close to him say he is unlikely to immediately call an extraordinary congress and instead may follow the party’s regular organizational calendar beginning later this year.
At the same time, internal dynamics remain unsettled. Officials who once served under Kılıçdaroğlu later joined Özel’s “change” movement, while others became mayors, parliamentary officials or resigned from party bodies, raising questions about how effectively authority can be reasserted across the organization.
Party sources say early discussions include the possible establishment of an internal ethics mechanism aimed at reviewing corruption allegations within the party.
The idea, described by insiders as part of a “clean politics” approach, is said to include the potential suspension of members under investigation, though no immediate decisions are expected.
Some within his camp are also considering disciplinary steps for members facing corruption allegations, but party officials say leadership is trying to avoid moves that could further inflame tensions.
No new party
Despite heated rhetoric, senior figures in both camps have so far signaled they do not support an outright split.
Talk of a possible breakaway has circulated in CHP circles for some time, with suggestions that Özel’s administration could operate a “reserve party” in case of prolonged legal uncertainty.
However, Özel has rejected that option for now, framing the fight as internal. “We are the landlords, tenants leave, landlords stay,” he said, underscoring his insistence on remaining within the party structure.
Due to an interim injunction, the appeals process is expected to take time, with some suggesting a final ruling may not come before the upcoming elections.
In that scenario, analysts say Özel’s camp could still revisit contingency plans, including a backup structure to field candidates if needed.
Political analysts say the CHP now faces one of the most serious institutional crises in its recent history.
The appeals process could take months, leaving the party caught between two competing centers of authority while Türkiye’s opposition landscape remains in flux ahead of future elections.
For Özel and his allies, the challenge will be maintaining political legitimacy and support within the party base while navigating an increasingly uncertain legal process.
For Kılıçdaroğlu, the task may prove equally delicate: reasserting authority over a divided party without triggering a deeper rupture inside the opposition.
