Özgür Çelik, the current party chairman of İstanbul’s Bahçelievler district, has been elected to serve as the Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman for İstanbul at large. Çelik’s election as the party’s head in Turkey’s biggest city was seen as a major blow to party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who had supported Çelik’s opponent Cemal Canpolat. As Turkey’s largest opposition party, the CHP has faced repeated calls for reform following major losses to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in presidential and parliamentary elections in May.
Çelik will take the reins as CHP İstanbul Provincial Chair from Canan Kaftancıoğlu, who has held the post since 2018. The new chairman’s election followed a 14 hour congress of the CHP general assembly which saw Çelik defeat Cemal Canpolat in a 342-310 vote. Following Çelik’s victory, Turkish opposition figures such as İstanbul Mayor Erkem İmamoğlu and current CHP İstanbul head Kaftancıoğlu offered their congratulations.
Cemal Canpolat had announced his candidacy to run for CHP İstanbul leadership two weeks ago, in which he scolded those attacking Kılıçdaroğlu and calling for change in the party. In his candidacy announcement, Canpolat had said: “You cannot accomplish anything by attacking our chairman, who inhabits the seat belonging to Atatürk. We will not allow this.” By securing the endorsement of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Çelik had established himself as the reform candidate, with Canpolat representing the CHP’s old guard led by current party chairman Kılıçdaroğlu.
CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu ran as the opposition’s joint presidential candidate challenging President Erdoğan in May. While Turkey’s devastating February 2023 earthquakes and a rapidly devaluating Turkish Lira had boosted expectations of regime change in opposition circles, Kılıçdaroğlu’s loss to Turkey’s long-tenured leader and the opposition’s failure to secure control of parliament led to many calls for change within the CHP. İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu has been among the party’s most prominent voices in calling for change, launching a website over the summer that invited citizens to submit recommendations for the opposition going forward. Although İmamoğlu has avoided direct confrontation with the CHP Chairman, the rift between the İstanbul Mayor and party boss have become well known as the two have repeatedly endorsed competing candidates in intra-party elections in recent months.
Ekrem İmamoğlu will be up for reelection as İstanbul Mayor in March 2023, which will also see Turkey’s other cities vote for new mayors. İmamoğlu’s surprise victory over Turkey’s largest city in spring 2019 delivered the largest electoral blow to the AKP over the party’s two decades in power.
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Written for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
