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Twenty-eight members of the Turkish main opposition, the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 57-seat Party Assembly, loyal to suspended leader Ozgur Ozel, resigned Thursday. The move reduces the body's membership below the two-thirds quorum required under party statute, triggering a legal obligation for an extraordinary congress to be held within 45 days.
The Ozel camp's statement cited Article 24/3 of the CHP statute, which requires the party chairman to call a congress within 45 days if, after all alternate members are called up, the Party Assembly's membership falls below two-thirds of its full complement, that is, below 40 members.
With 28 resignations, membership fell to 29, crossing that threshold.
"In accordance with Article 24/3 of the Party Statute, both the Party Assembly and the Central Executive Board elected from within it have officially collapsed," the Ozel camp's statement said.
Istanbul MP Zeynel Emre, speaking in parliament from the Ozel camp, said: "From this point on, not holding a congress is a crime."
CHP spokesperson Muslim Sari said the party's parliamentary group will convene despite the resignations.
On Wednesday, a Central Executive Board meeting chaired by reinstated CHP Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu referred nine Ozel-aligned members to the High Disciplinary Board, requesting their expulsion.
Under CHP's internal statutes, the Party Assembly is the party's highest decision-making body between congresses, comprising the party chairman and 60 elected members, with 15 alternates.
It convenes at least once every two months. It is responsible for adopting policy and strategy decisions on domestic and international developments in line with the party program and congress resolutions.
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