Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the former leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has sparked internal backlash from CHP ranks and supporters after suggesting he might reclaim the party’s top post if a court annuls the results of last year’s leadership congress.
According to a columnist for pro-CHP Halk TV news website, Kılıçdaroğlu told a group of visitors on Monday that he would not allow the CHP to be handed over to a court-appointed trustee if the Ankara 3rd Civil Court of First Instance rules on June 30 to invalidate the election of his successor, Özgür Özel.
“Would I leave the party to a trustee? Of course not,” he said, adding, “We will sit down and talk with Mr. Özel after the court decision.”
The remarks were interpreted by party insiders as an indication that Kılıçdaroğlu is open to reassuming the leadership through a legal ruling rather than a party congress, a scenario many in the current CHP administration view as illegitimate.
Özel, who unseated Kılıçdaroğlu in the November 2023 congress, has repeatedly stated that any leadership change must go through internal democratic processes. “We will neither surrender this party to a trustee nor hand it over through judicial interference,” he said at a recent press conference. Özel’s allies, including jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, have warned that any attempt to bypass party delegates would provoke a crisis.
The court case in question stems from an appeal filed by former CHP member Tolgahan Erdoğan, who claims irregularities in delegate selection and vote counting at the party’s 38th congress. Kılıçdaroğlu is listed in the indictment as the “aggrieved party,” and critics say he is now using the case to challenge the leadership that replaced him.
If the court annuls the 38th Ordinary Congress held in November 2023, Kılıçdaroğlu would be considered the party’s de jure chairman again, because Özel’s election would be declared null and void.
All provincial chairpersons of the CHP from across the country convened in Ankara last week to express their support for Özel and denounce what they called an effort to undermine the party’s unity. Although the group avoided direct criticism of Kılıçdaroğlu in its official statement, several attendees told reporters that the former chairman should explicitly reject any court-imposed return.
Meanwhile, reports in local media suggest that Kılıçdaroğlu’s inner circle has begun making preparations for a possible leadership transition. According to sources cited by the T24 news website and Halk TV, discussions have included the removal of prominent figures such as Özel and İmamoğlu from key party positions should Kılıçdaroğlu regain control. These claims have not been publicly addressed by the former chairman.
The controversy has revived tensions over identity politics in the party. Alevi community leaders have expressed frustration over sectarian language used against Kılıçdaroğlu during last year’s internal power struggle. Sevim Yalıncakoğlu, an Alevi religious figure, said the silence from the current CHP leadership in response to such rhetoric had “deeply disappointed” many in the community.
Pro-government media outlets have framed the dispute as a sign of deepening disarray in the opposition. Newspapers close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have portrayed the Özel-İmamoğlu alliance as a corrupt gang who stole the vote to unseat their veteran leader.
The court’s ruling on June 30 is expected to determine whether the party faces a leadership upheaval or closes ranks behind Özel. A decision to annul the congress would not automatically reinstate Kılıçdaroğlu, but it could open the door to his temporary return if no congress is convened in time to fill the void.
Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the CHP from 2010 to 2023, was widely criticized after his loss to Erdoğan in the 2023 presidential election. While initially stepping aside without contest, he has since accused the current leadership of orchestrating a campaign to discredit him and vowed to defend the party from internal and external threats.