Kilicdaroglu visits CHP headquarters as ousted leader Ozel demands an immediate congress and primary
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, reinstated as CHP leader by a May 21 court ruling that scrapped the party's 2023 primary, visited the opposition party's Ankara headquarters for the first time on Saturday, pledging to convene a congress 'as soon as possible.' Ousted leader Ozgur Ozel told thousands at an Ankara rally that 'the CHP does not accept appointments,' demanding an immediate congress and a primary and offering to step down if he won less than 85 percent. Analysts cast the court-ordered removal as part of President Erdogan's broader campaign to weaken the opposition, citing the jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu; one poll found just 11 percent approved of Ozel's ouster.
Turkey's main opposition party, the CHP, was thrown into fresh disarray on Saturday as Kemal Kilicdaroglu -- reinstated as leader by a May 21 court ruling -- made his first visit to its Ankara headquarters since the decision. The ruling scrapped the CHP's 2023 leadership primary on grounds of "irregularities" and restored the 77-year-old Kilicdaroglu, who lost the 2023 presidential election, in place of Ozgur Ozel. Marking the final day of Eid, Kilicdaroglu posted a photo at his desk with a copy of the party bylaws and said, "I will bring a ballot box for party congress before you as soon as possible," without setting a date.
Ozel, the ousted leader, called for an urgent congress, telling thousands at an Ankara rally that the party "cannot be run by an appointed leader." As crowds chanted "Traitor Kemal!", he challenged Kilicdaroglu to a primary: "Hold a congress at once, with whichever delegates you wish. Give the party an elected leader without delay. The CHP does not accept appointments." Ozel, 51, said he would relinquish the leadership if he won less than 85 percent support. Three days after the court order, riot police had forced their way into the CHP's Ankara headquarters with pepper spray and batons to remove him.
The court said Ozel's 2023 election was marred by irregularities, though the Supreme Election Council, whose rulings are constitutionally final, had certified his win. Gonul Tol of the US-based Middle East Institute told RFI that Kilicdaroglu is "a convenient opponent" for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, having "lost every major election during his 13 years at the helm." She called the move "the latest step in Erdogan's broader campaign to weaken the opposition," noting that authorities jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu -- Erdogan's top rival -- last March and have since "systematically targeted CHP mayors through court cases and corruption investigations."
Ozel had revitalized the CHP, which defeated Erdogan's AKP in the 2024 local elections and now leads many polls, driving more than 100 mass rallies over the past year -- even in Erdogan strongholds -- amid public anger over crackdowns and soaring food prices. He has vowed to "flood the streets" against what he calls a "judicial coup" while appealing his removal; Kilicdaroglu, for his part, promised to cleanse the party of "corrupting forces." The government insists the judiciary is independent, and Erdogan has stayed silent. Commentator Sezin Oney of the outlet Politikyol said Erdogan "wants to design the succession, most probably to have a close family member replacing him."
International reaction has been muted, with Erdogan enjoying close ties with US President Donald Trump and the EU increasingly treating Turkey as a security partner under the Russian threat. At an Izmir rally on Tuesday, Ozel vowed to escalate protests amid rumors he could launch a new party, even as reports suggested his parliamentary immunity could be stripped and that he may join other senior CHP figures in jail. One poll found only 11 percent of respondents approved of his removal. "Turkey is moving closer to a Russia-style system where the leader decides who the opposition will be," Tol said, adding: "Erdogan knows he cannot win genuinely free and fair elections anymore."