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Reinstated Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu appeared before cameras Saturday for the first time since a court ruling returned him to the party leadership, pledging to restore CHP to its founding principles and calling for unity within the opposition party.
“I promise all of you, especially party members, that we will return CHP to its founding codes,” Kilicdaroglu said.
The remarks came after the 36th Civil Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice annulled CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress held on Nov. 4–5, 2023, along with the Oct. 8, 2023 Istanbul Provincial Congress and all decisions taken at both gatherings.
The court found allegations of “defect of will” and organized bribery during the congress process to be substantiated, provisionally removed Ozgur Ozel and his administration from office, and ordered the reinstatement of Kilicdaroglu and the former party leadership.
Kilicdaroglu began his remarks by apologizing for delaying his statement, citing health issues caused by intense phone traffic following the ruling.
He also referred to CHP’s parliamentary group meeting earlier in the day, during which suspended leader Ozgur Ozel was re-elected as parliamentary group chairman with the support of 95 out of 96 lawmakers.
“There was a new development this morning. I wish Mr. Ozgur success in his new duty,” Kilicdaroglu said.
“Mr. Ozgur had stated that he would meet with me. So far, that meeting has not taken place. I hope it will happen in the coming days,” he added.
Kilicdaroglu stressed the historical role of CHP and argued that the party must preserve its institutional identity and moral values.
“One thing must be clearly understood. CHP is a deeply rooted party. It is a party that founded the state. It is a party that shaped the state. It has to protect its moral values,” he said.
He also urged party members to avoid internal polarization and divisive rhetoric.
“We need to avoid language that creates divisions within the party. Remaining silent in the face of certain events is no longer the right approach,” he said.
“As I just said, this is the party that founded the republic. It is a party that has adopted morality and virtue as its core philosophy. It is no longer right to leave this party facing moral problems and remain silent in the face of such incidents,” he added.
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Kilicdaroglu also emphasized that criticism inside CHP should remain within the party’s traditional culture of respect.
“In our party culture, no negative language is used toward anyone who has served as party chairman. No degrading language is used,” he said.
“There were party chairmen who criticized me. I always approached them with respect. Regarding criticism, I went and met with them personally. Turning against each other within the party base and creating an atmosphere of conflict is not right,” he added.
Meanwhile, former CHP Istanbul provincial chairman Gursel Tekin, who is known for his closeness to Kilicdaroglu, suggested a new congress was unlikely in the short term.
“In my opinion, it will not happen before seven to eight months. Most likely, after seven to eight months, there could be a new structure, a new congress,” he said.
CHP has appealed the court ruling to the Supreme Election Council (YSK), but the application was rejected.
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