CHP MP demands leadership congress because of ‘normalization’ policies, stirs party

Duvar English

Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul deputy Oğuz Kaan Salıcı on Nov. 8 criticized party leader Özgür Özel for his “normalization” policies and demanded a party congress.

In a social media statement, Salıcı said, “The normalization process, which has caused discomfort among our party members, has bought Erdoğan valuable time after the local elections he lost. Despite this, it is not understood why normalization is being defended on every platform. The promise of ‘normalization’ was neither made at the party congress nor before the March 31st local elections. The election was not won on the promise of normalization.”

Following the CHP’s local election victory in March, CHP leader Özgür Özel and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met on several occasions for the purpose of “normalization” in politics.

“The fact that the MPs were asked to stand up in front of Erdoğan (at the opening session of the parliament) without any explanation is also questioned by our party organization. As a result, it was seen that they stood up in front of the will that appointed trustees to our municipality. It is unbecoming of the office of our Chair to have to explain what he meant after almost every statement.”

“The CHP is not a party founded on polls. It does not determine its politics according to survey results. In the CHP, a congress is not a favor, it is a right. If necessary, the CHP will hold a congress. (Özel) also became a candidate for the party leadership after the general elections, citing the narrowing of the base and stating that our Party needed a congress. Every leader of the CHP is highly respected. On the other hand, as my esteemed compatriot Kamil Kırıkoğlu, one of the General Secretaries of our Party, said, ‘they’re not sultans’,” Salıcı said, demanding a party leadership congress.

Özel became the CHP leader in a party congress in November 2023 after previous leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu lost the presidential election to Erdoğan.

In response to Salıcı, CHP Spokesperson Deniz Yücel heavily criticized him and said his remarks were a result of “sheer arrogance and rabid ambition.”

“At a time when our Esenyurt district mayor was arrested in a political operation and a trustee was appointed to our municipality, discussing the congress, discussing the leadership is an indication of what, if not heedlessness?”

“While Mr. Özgür Özel's tolerance and courtesy towards your aggressive attitude and careless statements are obvious, do not further drag our party into this ugly and untimely agenda that you are trying to initiate,” he added.

Yücel’s remarks also received a reaction from the party figures. 

“First targeting and then calling for unity is incompatible with political consistency. It is necessary to rethink either the language of criticism or the call for unity,” İzmir MP Sevda Erdan Kılıç said.

“First of all, the fact that he could not make any statement that would satisfy both our party members and the public about the criticized issues revealed how appropriate the criticisms made by Mr. Salıcı were. I hope that our party members in positions of responsibility will at least act by considering the institutional identity of our party rather than their own future in their future statements,” İzmir MP Mahir Polat said.

Lastly, CHP leader Özgür Özel on Nov. 9 said he "ended" the feud. 

“I apologize to all those who are right in the debates, regardless of whether they are right or wrong, and on behalf of all those who are wrong. Indeed, there is nothing more meaningless than the CHP having these discussions when people are suffering from so much financial difficulties, poverty, and unemployment. The CHP is not discussed on the streets. Hunger, poverty, and unemployment are discussed on the streets.”