CHP leadership crisis: Kilicdaroglu and Ozel set for first confrontation at parliamentary group meeting on June 2
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, appointed interim CHP chairman by an appeals court ruling, and Ozgur Ozel, elected group chairman by 95 of 96 attending lawmakers, will face off for the first time at the party's parliamentary group meeting on June 2. Ozel, who retains control of party headquarters, secured written support from 15 additional deputies, claiming backing from 110 lawmakers. The confrontation centers on who has the right to speak at the meeting, with Ozel asserting his right as group chairman and Kilicdaroglu's allies citing past precedent.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is bracing for a direct confrontation between two rival leaders at its parliamentary group meeting on June 2, after an appeals court ruling and a separate internal vote created a split in the party's leadership.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu was appointed interim CHP chairman by an appeals court ruling of 'Mutlak Butlan' (absolute nullity), a legal doctrine that declares an act void from the outset. Ozgur Ozel, who was elected group chairman by 95 of 96 attending lawmakers at a closed parliamentary group meeting on May 22, retains control of party headquarters. Ozel said he also received written support from 15 deputies outside Ankara, claiming backing from 110 lawmakers.
The first confrontation between Kilicdaroglu and Ozel will occur at the CHP parliamentary group meeting on June 2, with the central dispute being who has the right to speak at the meeting. CHP Deputy Group Chairman Gokhan Gunaydin said: "The working method of our group is clear. The deputy group chairman opens, and the group chairman speaks." Ozel stated: "While there is so much reaction from the party's members, delegates, and deputies, I give no chance that Mr. Kilicdaroglu will come to the group and request to speak."
CHP internal regulations Article 19 states: "The group chairman has a natural right to speak at group meetings; the general chairman who is not a group member can attend group meetings with the right to speak but cannot vote." Kilicdaroglu's allies cite past precedent, noting that Kilicdaroglu spoke at group meetings during the 18-month period from May 2023 to November 2024 when he was not a lawmaker and Ozel was group chairman, and that Ozel did not request the floor at that time. Similar precedents exist for President Tayyip Erdogan, former SHP leader Murat Karayalcin, and former IYI Party leader Meral Aksener.
Ozel called for an extraordinary party congress "as soon as possible," while Kilicdaroglu said it should be held "at the most appropriate time." Under CHP regulations, an extraordinary congress can be convened by the general chairman's decision, a notarized petition from one-fifth of delegates, or a Party Assembly decision. Ozel noted the regulations allow convening a congress within 40 days. However, the Party Assembly cannot meet without the general chairman, and decisions require the general chairman's signature to take effect. Furthermore, the congress opening must be performed by the general chairman under party regulations.
The crisis follows a May 21 court decision that removed Ozel and reinstated Kilicdaroglu, deepening a party split that has drawn calls from Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli for Kilicdaroglu to negotiate with Ozel.