The MHP, a key partner of the ruling alliance under the leadership of the AKP, has seen a new wave of internal restructuring as the party leadership dissolved multiple regional organizations following the high-profile departure of Deputy Chair İzzet Ulvi Yönter.
The party administration replaced provincial party officials in Kütahya, Eskişehir, and Kars just days after the entire Istanbul organization was dismantled. Besides, replacements have started in the MHP’s youth branch, the Grey Wolves in the province of Isparta.
MHP Deputy Chair Semih Yalçın announced the closures on April 16. He cited the party’s bylaws to justify the dissolution of the three regional offices.
Yet, Yalçın is also expected to be distanced from the party administration, during the MHP Congress, expected to take place this year. “He might not run again in the congress,” said a high profile party official speaking to Turkey in Depth.
The crisis began on March 27 when Yönter resigned from his post at party headquarters. While MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli said Yönter left to focus on his 'academic career,' the move followed a series of internal disputes and serious allegations. Reports linked Yönter to a legal case involving the Ayhan Bora Kaplan criminal network. An indictment on the criminal network suggested that a member of the organization received advance notice of Bahçeli’s speeches through Yönter.
The tension intensified when the Istanbul branch publicly backed Yönter during a public quarrel with party-affiliated media figures. In response, the party administration dissolved the Istanbul provincial office and all 39 district branches. Outgoing Istanbul Chair Sertel Sevim issued a loyalist statement, affirming his continued command under Bahçeli.
CRYPTIC MESSAGES FROM YÖNTER
Following the latest closures in Kütahya, Eskişehir, and Kars, Yönter posted cryptic messages on social media that observers viewed as a challenge to party leadership.
He shared an Ottoman phrase meaning, 'Allah is enough, everything else is a fleeting whim.' He also reshared a post stating, 'Those who rise in anger sit down with a loss.'
The purge appears to target local officials who expressed solidarity with Yönter who previously accused 'infiltrated agents' of targeting him.
