Özgür Özel (CHP MP) and his team have collected the 900 signatures [1] required to call for an extraordinary Republican People’s Party (CHP) congress.
This move signals a deepening internal crisis within Turkey's main opposition party. The effort to force a congress aims to resolve a power struggle between the faction led by Özel and the leadership of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (CHP leader).
The signature collection process concluded by 4 p.m. [2] on the day the requirement was met. A spokesperson for Özel's team said, "Kurultayın toplanması için gerekli olan yeterli imza sayısı bugün saat 16.00 itibarıyla tamamlandı" [2].
The party is now scheduled to hold the extraordinary congress this Wednesday [1]. The gathering will serve as a mechanism to address the friction between the two factions, a conflict that has divided the party's internal structures.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu responded to the development by calling for party cohesion. Kılıçdaroğlu said that division and fighting within the party were not appropriate and issued a message of unity [3].
The demand for the congress comes as the party navigates significant ideological and strategic disagreements. By securing the 900 signatures [1], Özel's team has successfully triggered the formal process to challenge the current leadership's direction.
“The Republican People’s Party faces internal crisis as a faction secures 900 signatures to force a party-wide congress.”
The successful gathering of signatures represents a formal challenge to the leadership of the CHP. If the extraordinary congress leads to a leadership change or a significant shift in party platform, it could alter the dynamics of the political opposition in Turkey, potentially consolidating or further fracturing the party's base ahead of future electoral cycles.
