FIRST OUSTED, NOW OUT: ÖZEL FOUNDS RIVAL TO CHP
Özgür Özel, who in a historic decision was removed by court order from the party leadership to which he had been elected four times, announced his decision to establish a new party.
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ÖZEL AT A CROSSROADS: THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR A NEW PARTY
No sooner had Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu settled into the party leadership — declaring 'first purification, then a congress' in the immediate wake of the absolute nullity ruling — than he did exactly what everyone expected: signed off on expulsions.
ÖZEL HAS THE CROWD, KILIÇDAROĞLU HOLDS THE SEAL, THE EXIT IS ANYONE'S GUESS FOR THE CHP
Turkey's oldest and main opposition party, the CHP, is now effectively divided in two after a court annulled the party's November 2023 congress and reinstated former chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in place of Özgür Özel. The split became more visible when both camps held rallies simultaneously at 2 p.m. on May 30. Kılıçdaroğlu returned to party headquarters to chants of 'Kılıçdaroğlu, the people's hope' — a stark reversal from just days earlier, when another crowd had branded him a 'traitor' and 'the AKP's hope' on May 24, reacting to the court-ordered change in the party leadership carried out with police support. The first head-to-head show of strength between the two camps laid bare a simple reality: Özel commands greater grassroots support, but Kılıçdaroğlu holds the formal authority to run the party.
COURT RULING OUSTS ÖZEL, HANDS CHP BACK TO KILIÇDAROĞLU
A fresh blow has landed on the CHP as a court annulled the party's 2023 congress — the elective gathering at which the party leadership, including its chair, changed hands following an election defeat — ordering the party's administration to revert to its pre-congress configuration.
TENSION PERSISTS WITHIN MHP FOLLOWING DEPUTY CHAIR’S EXIT
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.
IS MERAL AKŞENER MAKING A COMEBACK?
You may ask, “Meral Akşener? Where did that come from?” It’s been a year and a half since she bid farewell to both the İYİ Party leadership and active politics. She has remained completely silent since. Yet, in recent days, an unexpected Akşener debate has been simmering—not in the headlines, but in İYİ Party circles. The discussion did not start with her; she has kept her silence. But when Esma Bekar—Akşener’s former chief of staff and perhaps the person closest to her—posted a message, the question suddenly arose: “Is Akşener returning?”
DISMISSAL SPREE IN ERDOĞAN’S AKP AS EIGHT PROVINCIAL CHAIRS REMOVED
In just three days, eight provincial heads from Turkey’s ruling AKP have been dismissed by party leadership — a sweeping move that underscores ongoing internal restructuring efforts.