Court Ousts CHP Leader Özgür Özel, Reinstates Predecessor Kılıçdaroğlu in Power Struggle

Kılıçdaroğlu’s lawyer applied to the police that same Sunday for the evacuation of the party headquarters. The 77-year-old did not criticize the court decision or the police operation, instead writing on social media: «Niemand soll sich Sorgen machen, wir werden unsere Partei aus diesen Debatten heraushalten und unseren Marsch zur Macht fortsetzen.»

Police Storm Headquarters

Özel, who was elected CHP parliamentary group chairman with an overwhelming majority on Saturday, is now leading daily protests in Turkish cities and pushing for an extraordinary party congress where he intends to run again for the leadership. The decision on whether to hold such a congress lies in Kılıçdaroğlu’s hands, and he has so far refused to agree.

The CHP has appealed the court ruling, calling it politically motivated and unconstitutional. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described the situation as an internal power struggle within the party.

Kılıçdaroğlu’s Legacy and Ouster

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu led the CHP for 13 years before losing the party congress to Özel in November 2023. During his tenure, the party lost every major election and never managed to threaten Erdoğan’s AKP, though he was considered a feared opponent three years ago.

Kılıçdaroğlu forced his own candidacy in the 2023 presidential election and lost decisively. «Noch 2023 war Kilicdaroglu ein Hoffnungsträger für Millionen von Türkinnen und Türken,» but he was replaced as party leader shortly after. «Konsequenterweise wurde er am Parteitag im November 2023 als Parteichef abgelöst.»

Under Özel’s leadership, the CHP introduced primary elections that removed the party headquarters’ sole right to determine candidates, and replaced older cadres in the party executive with younger figures. In the March 2024 local elections, the CHP achieved a historic victory with 37.8 percent of the vote, becoming the strongest party for the first time since 1977.

Opposition Under Pressure

The leadership battle unfolds against a backdrop of severe pressure on the opposition. Hundreds of CHP members have been arrested or removed from office on corruption and terrorism charges over the past year and a half. Ekrem İmamoğlu, the deposed mayor of Istanbul and a CHP member, has been in prison since March 2025 and faces a potential sentence of more than 2,000 years.

Turkey’s economic situation is poor, and the consequences of the Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are hitting the country hard. «Die wirtschaftliche Lage ist mies,» with state-owned banks selling billions worth of foreign currency every week to stabilize the lira. Many citizens are struggling to make ends meet.

The Turkish judiciary is widely described as a tool in a system tailored to Erdoğan. «Aber die türkische Justiz ist längst ein Werkzeug in diesem System, das auf Erdogan massgeschneidert ist.» The court cited the Political Parties Law, which allows decisions of party bodies to be annulled in cases of serious irregularities.

Özel has rejected rumors that he and his supporters would leave the CHP and form a new party. The next presidential election is scheduled for 2028, and the CHP — founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk — remains the largest opposition party in the country.