ANKARA(Medyascope) – On Thursday (May 21), an Ankara court ordered the removal of Özgür Özel, chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), as well as his party top-brass. The ruling temporarily reinstated the CHP’s former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the party from 2011-2023.
By Leo Kendrick • Medyascope
The Ankara court’s ruling concerns a CHP party congress in November 2023, in which Özel defeated Kılıçdaroğlu to claim the party chairmanship following the latter’s loss to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey’s 2023 presidential election.
Several Kılıçdaroğlu-aligned CHP members alleged bribes and vote-rigging in the CHP’s party congress that saw Özel take over party leadership, requesting Özel be removed and an ‘absolute nullification’ (mutlak butlan) declared on all party decisions taken over the past 2.5 years.
The prospect of a mutlak butlan-type ruling has been discussed throughout Özel’s tenure, leading to repeated party congresses aimed at legitimizing the chairman’s leadership over the party.
Özel and Özel-aligned members of the CHP– making up the vast majority of the party base and parliamentary caucus– have denied the charges of vote-rigging and accused Kılıçdaroğlu of conspiring with President Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a bid to return to power.
Domestic and international analysts have described the latest attack on the CHP leadership as a bid by Erdoğan’s party to capture Turkey’s main opposition party and transform the country’s political system from a semi-competitive authoritarian regime into a Russia-style consolidated autocracy with a rubber-stamp parliament.
Police evacuated CHP’s headquarters in Ankara by force (24 May 2026, Özgecan Özgenç, Medyascope)
Fallout following Turkey’s main opposition party leadership removal
Police forcibly enter CHP HQ
Protests outside the CHP’s central headquarters in Ankara began Thursday evening following the announcement of the court’s decision removing Özel.
Throughout the day Friday and Saturday, Özel and his leadership remained within the headquarters building, appearing to pursue a style of resistance reminiscent of March 2025, when Özel and CHP officials bunkered down at Istanbul’s Saraçhane city hall amidst major protests following the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Midday Sunday, however, riot police amassed outside the party’s Ankara headquarters and forcibly entered the building, breaking down barriers and shooting rubber bullets and tear gas towards resisting party members inside. Following a long siege, Özel exited his 12th-story office, leaving the headquarters and leading a march to the Turkish Parliament across town.
During the rainy walk to the parliament building, Özel climbed on top of a water cannon vehicle used by riot police and addressed supporters.
Kılıçdaroğlu’s fall from grace
The events since Thursday mark the latest chapter in an ignominious fall from grace for the newly-reinstated CHP Chairman.
Throughout his 12-year stint at the helm of the party, Kılıçdaroğlu developed a reputation as a perennial loser of elections. His loss to Erdoğan in 2023 came amidst runaway inflation of the Turkish Lira and an unpopular response to the 2023 earthquakes in southeast Anatolia by Turkey’s ruling party, a situation seen by many as a perfect storm opportunity for the CHP to capture control. Kılıçdaroğlu’s reputation for electoral failure combined with his diminutive physical stature made him a popular target for Erdoğan’s camp, who gave him the nickname ‘Bay Kemal’.
Özgür Özel’s first months as chairman also coincided with major victories for the CHP in local elections in March 2024, cementing Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş as possible future challengers to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
As Özel, İmamoğlu, and Yavaş emerged as legitimate challengers to Erdoğan, Kılıçdaroğlu’s reputation as a disgraced loser became even more entrenched. As reports began to emerge indicating that Kılıçdaroğlu was preparing to retake party leadership in the event of a mutlak butlan ruling, the former chairman’s reputation among the CHP base evolved from that of perennial loser to Erdoğan-aligned traitor.
Indeed, unconfirmed reports indicate Kılıçdaroğlu was in contact with AKP top-brass prior to the announcement of Thursday’s ruling and was actively preparing to retake control of the party. On Wednesday, just one day prior to Özel’s removal, Kılıçdaroğlu released a three-minute video on social media in which he espoused several pro-government talking points regarding ongoing allegations of corruption in the CHP, saying “This party is not a place to pursue one’s self interest.”
Since early 2025, the CHP has been targeted with arrests and investigations over alleged corruption in party-run municipalities, which critics argue are politically-motivated attempts to handicap Turkey’s largest opposition party.
In their Sunday afternoon march to the Turkish Parliament following their removal from CHP headquarters, Özel and supporters chanted ‘Traitor Kemal’, disparaging the newly reinstated chairman. In light of the developments since Thursday, many CHP voters are now openly questioning whether Kılıçdaroğlu was in cahoots with Erdoğan’s AKP all along, prompting a redeliberation of recent Turkish political history in the minds of many.
Kılıçdaroğlu will now lead a CHP with minimal popular support seen by many as a conveniently weak opposition for Erdoğan’s AKP, and estimates suggest 90-95% of the party base remains aligned with Özel and his allies. On Monday, reports emerged indicating Kılıçdaroğlu was considering nominating İlhan Kesici, an unpopular former rival of Erdoğan, as the CHP’s presidential candidate in 2028. Such a move would bypass significantly more popular Özel-aligned CHP figures such as Mansur Yavaş and Ekrem İmamoğlu, effectively indicating the party’s subservience to Erdoğan.
İmamoğlu was officially nominated as the CHP’s presidential candidate following his imprisonment in March 2025, but his candidacy is now seen as increasingly unlikely following the cancellation of his university diploma, a prerequisite for the Turkish presidency.
Özel meets with DEM, Bilgi reopens
On Monday, Özel met with leaders of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party at the Turkish Parliament.
DEM Party leaders have condemned the raiding of CHP headquarters by police but have stopped short of directly criticizing Erdoğan or the AKP amidst a sensitive ongoing peace process aimed at solving Turkey’s Kurdish issue.
In another major development Monday, President Erdoğan reopened Istanbul’s Bilgi University by presidential decree, after having closed by presidential decree last Thursday. Bilgi’s unexplained Thursday closure had led to major protests among students and faculty.
