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World
The Republican People's Party lost control of İzmir municipality for the first time in 23 years as internal conflicts threaten to split the party.
The Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey's main opposition party with secular roots, suffered a significant political and symbolic blow when it lost local authority in its secular bastion of İzmir. This development follows internal turmoil within the party that risks dividing it into two separate factions.
The crisis escalated when the mayor of İzmir, Jamil Tugay, announced his resignation from CHP in protest against decisions made by the party leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was appointed by judicial ruling. Tugay declared his intention to pursue political activities independently.
Izmir municipality, governed by CHP for 23 years, now stands outside the party's control. İzmir, considered the secular stronghold of western Turkey, has long been governed by CHP, while the country has been ruled by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has religious roots, since 2002.
Following Tugay's resignation, his deputy and several municipal council members also left CHP, officially rendering İzmir municipality independent from the two divided wings of the party. These wings are led by Kılıçdaroğlu and the party's elected leader, Özgür Özel, who was judicially suspended last month.
A source within CHP stated that the İzmir mayor's resignation has had major repercussions within the party. The source noted that Özel's faction is accelerating plans to establish a new political party or join an existing one without a popular base, which would serve as a refuge for members loyal to Özel or opposed to Kılıçdaroğlu's leadership.
The source told "Erem News" that Özel continues to explore all political and legal avenues to regain party leadership by calling on Kılıçdaroğlu to convene an urgent extraordinary congress to elect a new party leadership. If unsuccessful, Özel is prepared to split from CHP and form a new party supported by a large group of his followers.
Recent decisions by Kılıçdaroğlu, including dismissing party members from their positions and referring others, including parliamentary deputies, to disciplinary committees, have further hastened Özel's faction toward an official party split.
In justifying his resignation, İzmir's mayor criticized Kılıçdaroğlu's decision to remove the party's İzmir branch head, Çağatay Güç, and initiate disciplinary procedures against him, including demands for permanent expulsion. Kılıçdaroğlu appointed a supporter in Güç's place.
Özel, who is judicially suspended, enjoys the backing of most CHP deputies in parliament, heads of provincial party branches across all 81 provinces, and party-affiliated mayors, including Ankara's Mansur Yavaş and Istanbul's imprisoned mayor accused of multiple corruption charges. Both remain formally within CHP ranks.
Özel, speaking from Denizli during a tour among party supporters in western Turkey, stated he will not abandon CHP before exhausting all efforts to overturn the court ruling that removed him, citing alleged election manipulation that led to his 2023 party leadership election.
He added that any decision to leave the party, founded nearly a century ago by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, will be made collectively with his supporters once no other options remain.
Political parties in Turkey compete for mayoral and municipal council positions because these roles provide extensive services to residents in neighborhoods, workplaces, and educational institutions, allowing direct engagement with citizens and building trust ahead of general elections.
Since 2019, CHP has emerged as a strong competitor to AKP, capturing the municipalities of Ankara and Istanbul during the general elections, alongside its long-held control of İzmir. In the 2024 local elections, CHP won the majority of major and minor municipalities.
Özel's faction is expected to become the main opposition force if it forms a new party or joins an existing one, significantly weakening CHP under Kılıçdaroğlu's leadership and diminishing its prospects for power, despite CHP's strong showing in the 2024 elections.
Özel accuses the ruling AKP and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of orchestrating CHP's internal crisis and arresting opposition mayors by politicizing the judiciary to exclude the party and its Istanbul mayoral candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who won the 2019 and 2024 local elections in Istanbul. Erdoğan himself rose to prominence from the Istanbul mayoralty nearly 25 years ago.
The AKP denies these accusations, asserting judicial independence and stating that courts are handling cases involving CHP members, with both plaintiffs and defendants from the opposition party.
President Erdoğan defeated Kılıçdaroğlu in the 2023 presidential election but required a runoff and alliances with nationalist and Islamist parties to secure victory. Discussions are ongoing about the possibility of an early presidential election before the scheduled 2028 date.
