Mayor Özcan referred to CHP disciplinary board again, now over ‘insulting’ Kılıçdaroğlu

Duvar English

Turkish main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on July 17 referred Tanju Özcan, mayor of the Bolu province in northern Turkey for his “insulting” remarks at former party chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. 

Party spokesperson Deniz Yücel stated that Özcan's social media post exceeded the bounds of criticism towards Kılıçdaroğlu, and the mayor’s expressions were inappropriate.

“Per the unanimous decision of our Central Executive Board and under our bylaws, the party referred Mr. Tanju Özcan to the High Disciplinary Board for a reprimand," the spokesperson concluded.

A staunch critic of Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership, Özcan once again addressed him in a social media post dated July 11. “He supposedly has 50 loyal deputies. Are you a god or a cult leader? What does loyal deputy mean?" he asked the former party chair, accusing him of “being obsessed with power.” 

Kılıçdaroğlu responded to these remarks on his social media account, saying it would be the first and last time he addressed Özcan’s “baseless” claims. 

"You are like a loose cannon. You have lost your balance. You are putting the party in a difficult position with these statements. No one says it, so I will; get your act together. Tanju, how much hatred do you have inside?” Kılıçdaroğlu wrote.

He continued, “What does 'Are you a god?' mean? God forbid. What does 'Are you a cult leader?' mean? My life has been spent fighting against cults.”

The former party chair concluded his statement severing his long-strenuous relationship with the mayor. 

“If death comes to me one day, I do not want you to attend my funeral. What a shame, for all the efforts I put into you."

Özcan was previously expelled from the party for his sexist remarks towards a municipal council member from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

Özcan had criticized Kılıçdaroğlu’s presidential candidacy in 2023’s general elections and marched from Bolu to the CHP headquarters in the capital Ankara demanding a change of party leadership after the defeat. 

As the local elections of March 31 drew near, the party pardoned Özcan as part of its Republic’s Centennial program. Özcan ran again as CHP’s mayoral candidate for Bolu and won with 52.9 percent of the votes.  

He is also known for his anti-refugee discourse, introducing a series of xenophobic measures in the province.

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