Last call! The Turkey recap team is hosting a party starting at 1900 today in Kızılay, Ankara. Come out and say hi (and bring friends). RSVP for details.
In this week’s recap:
CHP locked in its own power struggle
Congress to constitution: The math behind the strategies
Peace process updates
Domestic and diplomatic wraps
Ankara to stop everything for NATO summit
Also from us this week:
Anna Montraveta Riu and Laia Palau Biel on land expropriations in the quake zone
Yıldız Tar joins Recap radio to outline pending LGBT legislation in Turkey
Diego Cupolo introduces Turkey recap’s manifesto and code of ethics
In the CHP leadership struggle, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu took the social media accounts and Özgür Özel retained the parliamentary podium—for now.
There are many moving parts (detailed below), but the key trends are:
A court ruling sparked a leadership crisis in the main opposition party
Erdoğan has since referred to this crisis as an “internal” party dispute
Ongoing disputes between CHP factions are confirming Erdoğan’s words
… and there are few other options for ex-CHP chair Özel as he works to retake the party leadership before the current CHP chair, Kılıçdaroğlu, expels Özel supporters from the party in a looming “anti-corruption” campaign.
What happened: Two hours before Kılıçdaroğlu held today’s CHP party council meeting, 28 council members resigned in an attempt to force an extraordinary congress. (We’re still waiting to see what happens next.)
A day prior, the Kılıçdaroğlu-led CHP Central Executive Committee requested the permanent expulsion of nine MPs who support Özel. While announcing the decision, the Kılıçdaroğlu camp spox said the nine MPs had been “removed from all their current positions within the party.”
The blow-by-blow came after clashes nearly broke out between opposing CHP camps outside parliament Tuesday morning. Amid uncertainty over who would speak in the parliamentary group meeting, Özel and Kılıçdaroğlu supporters faced off until CHP Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş called for calm on X.
Yavaş reportedly threatened to leave politics if the CHP descended into a street melee. His efforts deescalated tensions and both CHP leaders delivered speeches Tuesday—Özel in parliament and Kılıçdaroğlu in the party headquarters.
What voters think: In a recent MetroPOLL survey, the majority of respondents from all political parties—except the MHP—said they did not approve of Kılıçdaroğlu’s installment by court ruling. A new KONDA survey found comparable sentiments.
Throughout, suspicions of CHP-AKP coordination keep swirling after a journalist Wednesday asked Erdoğan if he had met with Kılıçdaroğlu but did not get a reply.
The inquiry came after political observers noticed that Kılıçdaroğlu and Erdoğan used similar language in their speeches this week. For example, by:
Likening CHP corruption to a nightclub operation.
Claiming Turkey’s influence should expand to former Ottoman territories.
What’s next: Everything depends on the timing of the next CHP congress, which allows CHP members to vote on their leadership. Yet, as with the lawmakers, the party’s lawyers are also divided into opposing camps.
Some legal advisors argue an extraordinary congress is needed before July 26 to safeguard CHP’s eligibility in the next elections, while others say the appeals process must conclude on the CHP congress case before a new congress can be held.
In both scenarios, experts argue a party congress is the only “legitimate” conclusion for the CHP crisis. Meanwhile, party members interviewed by Turkey recap this week stressed the timing of the congress will be the key determinant for who leads the CHP next.
“What we’re seeing is a game of chicken,” said a CHP staffer speaking on condition of anonymity. “There are many gray areas in the rules on party congresses, so both sides are trying to dominate the discourse about what comes next.”
“Whoever blinks first, loses,” the source added, stating the Özel camp is working to trigger a congress while pro-Özel members are still in the party. Given enough time, Kılıçdaroğlu is expected to clear out all CHP structures with new appointees.
“We will practice clean politics. We will dismiss all those who are corrupt,” Kılıçdaroğlu said at the CHP headquarters Tuesday as the crowd chanted “expel”.
“We will work together with dedication, we will not work for personal gain,” he added.
Congress to constitution: The math behind the strategies
