The feud in the opposition that favors Erdogan

The conflict within the republicans is worsening Chp the main opposition force to the power of the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A generational conflict which, despite the elections being scheduled for 2028, ends up benefiting the man who has led Turkey for more than 20 years.

The clash is between the old leader, born in 1948 Kemal Kilicdaroglu and the secretary Ozgur Ozelborn in 1974. The latter was elected secretary in 2023 and bears a line that is certainly more energetic and loved by the base than the obstinate Kilicdaroglu, defeated several times by Erdogan.

The decision of the Court of Appeal

The crisis finally exploded when last Thursday a decision by one Turkish Court of Appeal canceled the 2023 congress, during which leadership had passed from former leader Kilicdaroglu to Ozgur Ozel, then a deputy supported by the deposed and jailed mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu.

The divisions after the presidential elections

The 2023 convention took place shortly after the defeat in the presidential elections in May in a climate already marked by deep divisions within the opposition. While Kilicdaroglu insisted on his candidacy, the new party current close to Imamoglu pushed for a candidate capable of beating Erdogan.

The defeat and the contested congress

In the end, Kilicdaroglu managed to establish himself as a candidate, convinced that the president was in his moment of greatest political weakness. Kilicdaroglu was defeated by Erdogan in the second round, he did not resign, the congress elected Ozel and the fringe close to the elderly leader took legal action.

The accusations of procedural irregularities and vote buying, which the Chp forcefully rejects, they are upheld on appeal on May 21st. The removal of Ozel and his management and the reinstatement of Kilicdaroglu and his previous management team were thus ordered.

Police intervention

Kilicdaroglu himself, through his lawyers, left outside the party headquarters with Ozel barricaded inside, asked for police intervention last Sunday. The images of the raid went around the world.

The battle for leadership

Kilicdaroglu has already updated his biography on X, calling himself the current president of Chp and had his photo as current secretary inserted in the main party offices, relegating Ozel to a black and white portrait reserved for former leaders.

The challenge of the Chp

The CHP itself immediately contested the legitimacy of the sentence on May 22. Party leaders argue that ordinary courts have no jurisdiction over the matter and that only the Supreme Electoral Council can invalidate party congresses.

The political reactions

Kilicdaroglu’s return comes at a time when the former leader remains highly unpopular among opposition voters. The leader of theGood PartyMusavat Dervisoglu, openly excluded the possibility of dialogue with Kilicdaroglu in these circumstances.

However, the court’s decision did not provoke mass protests. Only a few thousand people gathered in front of the local CHP headquarters, while some groups also gathered in Ankara.

Advantages for Erdogan

Internal cracks and problems Chp constitute a structural plague that has always favored Erdogan over the last 20 years, despite the weakening ofAkp and thanks also to the alliance with the nationalists of Mhp.

Despite the sudden change in leadership, the two rivals continue to keep an open channel of communication. After the sentence handed down on Friday, Kilicdaroglu and Ozel had a telephone conversation.

The possible new congress

According to an advisor to the former leader, Kilicdaroglu informed Ozel of his desire to bring the party to a new congress at the most appropriate time. However, Kilicdaroglu is not expected to convene a new congress in the near term.

In the political background of Ankara, rumors are multiplying according to which the dispute could cause a permanent split within the Chpwith the possible birth of the “October PartyOzel, however, denied this possibility.

Attention is now focused on the CHP’s ability to overcome this internal dispute without definitively compromising the unity of its electoral base, while once again it is Erdogan to take advantage of the internal feud within the main opposition party.