Politics
CHP marks 103 years in Turkish politics with dimming prospects
The Republic of Türkiye’s first political party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), marked its 103rd anniversary on Wednesday. The party’s top officials paid a visit to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as the CHP struggles to survive after a major rift.
Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu led a delegation to the mausoleum and commemorated both Atatürk, who was also the first president of Türkiye, and another anniversary: the liberation of the western city of Izmir, a CHP stronghold, from occupying Greek forces 104 years ago. The delegation also visited the tomb of Ismet Inönü, Türkiye’s second president and the CHP’s second chairperson, who is buried near Anıtkabir.
Until July, the CHP was Türkiye’s main opposition party. When the party’s ousted chairperson Özgür Özel founded the New Party (YP), most of its lawmakers left the CHP.
The CHP’s original name was the “People’s Party,” and “Republican” was added to the name in 1924.
One of the world’s oldest political parties, the CHP remained in power from 1923 to 1950 and was shut down following the 1980 military coup. The party was later reopened in 1992.
Except for those who served in an acting capacity, the CHP has been led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Ismet Inönü, Bülent Ecevit, Hikmet Çetin, Altan Öymen, Deniz Baykal, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Özgür Özel.
The CHP considers the Sivas Congress its first party congress. Its second congress, held on Oct. 15, 1927, went down in history as the congress where Atatürk delivered his “Great Speech” (“Nutuk”).
During the congress, Atatürk spoke for a total of 36 hours and 33 minutes between Oct. 15 and 20, describing, based on documents, all stages of the National War of Independence that began on May 19, 1919, as well as the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye. At the congress, which concluded with his “Address to the Youth,” “Republicanism, Populism, Nationalism and Secularism” were established as the party’s four fundamental principles.
At the CHP’s third ordinary congress, held on May 10, 1931, “Statism and Revolutionism” were added to the party’s principles. This completed the process of incorporating the six principles that formed the philosophy behind the “Six Arrows,” which would become the party’s emblem, into its program and bylaws.
The party held its first extraordinary congress on Dec. 26, 1938, following Atatürk’s death. Ismet Inönü, who was elected chair, held the position for approximately 33 years.
Following Inönü’s resignation, Bülent Ecevit took over as party chair at the sixth extraordinary congress held on May 14, 1972. The 24th Ordinary Congress, held on May 24, 1979, was the CHP’s last congress under Ecevit’s leadership. After the Sept. 12, 1980 coup, Ecevit announced in a petition dated Oct. 30, 1980, that he had resigned as party chair and never returned to the CHP.
The party, which had been shut down following the coup, returned to the political scene on Sept. 9, 1992, with Deniz Baykal elected as its chairperson during the congress held that day.
Following the merger of the Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP) and the CHP on Feb. 18, 1995, Hikmet Çetin was appointed party chairperson. Deniz Baykal was reelected chair at the Ordinary Congress held on Sept. 9, 1995.
Baykal resigned on April 21, 1999, after his party failed to pass the electoral threshold in the general elections held on April 18, 1999. Altan Öymen, who was elected chair at the congress following Baykal’s resignation, held the position for 15 months. At the 11th Extraordinary Congress held on Sept. 30, 2000, Baykal was once again elected chair.
The CHP returned to Parliament as the main opposition party in the general elections held on Nov. 3, 2002, winning 19.4% of the vote.
After Deniz Baykal resigned on May 10, 2010, over secretly recorded footage allegedly showing an extramarital affair, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was elected the CHP’s seventh chair at the party’s 33rd Ordinary Congress.
Kılıçdaroğlu served as CHP chair for 13 years before facing Manisa lawmaker Özgür Özel at the party’s 38th Ordinary Congress, held on Nov. 4-5, 2023.
Since no candidate secured a simple majority in the first round, the vote went to a second round. Following the second-round vote, Özgür Özel was elected the CHP’s new chair with 812 votes.
Özel was reelected chairperson at the 21st Extraordinary Congress held on April 6, 2025, the 22nd Extraordinary Congress held on Sept. 21, 2025, and the 39th Ordinary Congress held on Nov. 28-30, 2025.
Following the CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress, at which Özgür Özel was elected party chair, former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş and several party delegates took the matter to court, arguing that the congress had been held in violation of the principles of internal party democracy, equality and free will, and seeking its annulment. The case focused on allegations of vote-buying by Özel’s supporters. A trial on the matter concluded in May, with a court in Ankara ruling that the 2023 intraparty election was subject to “absolute nullity” and ordering the reinstatement of Kılıçdaroğlu.
After being removed from office by the court, Özel objected to the court’s interim ruling on May 22 and filed an individual appeal.
Following an application by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s lawyer, CHP headquarters were evacuated by police on May 24. Özel left the party headquarters with his supporters and walked to Parliament.
One day before the evacuation, on May 23, Özel made a countermove by being reelected as CHP parliamentary group chair at a closed-door group meeting held by the CHP in Parliament.
Following the absolute-nullity ruling, Kılıçdaroğlu held a public gathering at the party headquarters on May 30, meeting with party members at the headquarters for the first time in two and a half years.
At a meeting of the Party Assembly on June 2, Kılıçdaroğlu selected members of the Central Executive Board from among those who remained party members and had served on the Party Assembly elected at the 37th Ordinary Congress, where he was last elected chairperson, and resumed party activities.
From that date onward, a process that Kılıçdaroğlu described as “cleansing” began within the CHP. Numerous party members, including nine lawmakers, were referred to the High Disciplinary Board with requests for their definitive expulsion, while appointments were made to provincial and district party leadership positions in all 81 provinces and their districts. The “cleansing” targeted CHP members involved in corruption cases, including mayors who were arrested on such charges while Özel was leading the party.
Later, 91 lawmakers resigned from the CHP and founded the YP under Özgür Özel’s leadership, reducing the CHP’s number of seats in Parliament to 44. As a result, the CHP lost its position as the main opposition party in Parliament and became the fifth-largest party in terms of number of seats.
Türkiye on Tuesday threw its support behind a 12-nation initiative led by the United Kingdom, France and Canada to ban trade and business dealings with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling for broader international action against Israel’s unlawful settlement expansion.
The Foreign Ministry said Ankara welcomed and supported measures taken by the 12 countries targeting commercial ties with illegal settlements.
“Israel’s efforts to eliminate the two-state solution are intensifying by the day,” the ministry said, warning that illegal settlements have evolved into a “systematic policy of occupation” that threatens the existence of a Palestinian state.
The ministry also said violence by illegal Israeli settlers had reached the level of “ethnic cleansing.”
Ankara argued that an adequate international response to Israel’s occupation policies has become essential to achieving a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region.
Against this backdrop, Türkiye called on other responsible members of the international community to adopt similar measures against illegal settlements.
Türkiye reiterated that it would continue working toward the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with territorial integrity, based on the 1967 borders and with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a series of diplomatic meetings in Ankara on Tuesday, hosting U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack, U.S. Rep. Daniel Issa and the head of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), according to Foreign Ministry sources.
Fidan met with Barrack, who also serves as the U.S. special envoy for Syria and Iraq, alongside Issa, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, ministry sources said.
No further details were immediately provided on the agenda or issues discussed during the meeting.
Separately, Fidan received Organization of Turkic States Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev in Ankara, the ministry said in a statement.
The meetings came as Ankara maintains diplomatic engagement with Washington on regional issues, particularly developments in neighboring Syria and Iraq, while continuing efforts to deepen cooperation among Turkic states.
Dündar Ziya Gültekin, a municipal council member from Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), was elected acting mayor of Istanbul’s Üsküdar district Tuesday in a rerun vote following a court decision suspending the previous election.
Gültekin secured 23 of the 42 votes cast in the fourth round of voting at the Üsküdar Municipal Council, defeating Republican People’s Party (CHP) council member Sibel Tan Çetinkaya, who received 19 votes.
The council convened under the chairmanship of First Deputy Chair Ali Aral to elect the acting mayor.
The CHP/New Party group nominated Çetinkaya, while the People’s Alliance nominated Gültekin.
After neither candidate secured the required majority in the first three rounds, the election proceeded to a fourth round, in which the candidate receiving the highest number of votes would win.
In the secret ballot, Gültekin received 23 votes to Çetinkaya’s 19.
The election was repeated after Istanbul’s 2nd Administrative Court issued a stay of execution concerning the Municipal Council’s decision in the previous acting mayor election held Aug. 5.
The Istanbul Governor’s Office had said an appeal against the ruling was rejected by the Istanbul Regional Administrative Court and that the district council would reconvene to elect an acting mayor.
The council was initially scheduled to hold the election Saturday, Sept. 5, but the meeting was postponed after it failed to reach the required quorum.
The council reconvened Tuesday, resulting in Gültekin’s election in the fourth round.
Last week, four municipal council members in Istanbul’s Üsküdar district resigned from the main opposition CHP and joined the ruling AK Party.
The four defections leave the CHP with a two-seat advantage over the People’s Alliance in the council, raising the stakes ahead of the election.
Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş was arrested on July 31 as part of an investigation involving allegations of establishing a criminal organization, bribery and extortion. She was subsequently suspended from office by the Interior Ministry.
On Aug. 5, the municipal council elected CHP council member Sibel Tan Çetinkaya as acting mayor.
The election was later challenged in court, and Istanbul’s 2nd Administrative Court suspended the implementation of the council decision.
Following the court decision, the Istanbul Governor’s Office announced that the municipal council would reconvene on Sept. 5 to elect a new acting mayor under Article 45 of Türkiye’s Municipal Law.
The First Muslim Diaspora Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states was held in Ankara on Tuesday. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz was among the speakers at the forum, which brought together representatives of the states of the international Islamic body. His speech focused on solidarity and standing against Israeli oppression of Palestinians.
Yılmaz lashed out at Israel’s attempt to brand any opposition to its oppression of Palestinians as “antisemitism.” “(Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu himself has left Jews across the world in a hard place because of his actions. The Netanyahu government has put Jews who do not want to be a part of the oppression in a difficult position,” he said, while noting that the Republic of Türkiye has never been antisemitic, as the Netanyahu administration has claimed.
Türkiye champions the Palestinian cause, and under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it has launched diplomatic efforts to end the genocide in Gaza. Erdoğan has been a staunch opponent of the Netanyahu administration and often likens Netanyahu to Hitler.
The Turkish vice president said solidarity in the face of the tragedy in Gaza was precious, while describing what is happening in the Palestinian enclave as unprecedented.
Yılmaz noted that the inability to implement United Nations resolutions, the weakening of international law, and the protection, in a sense, of perpetrators demonstrate that the existing global order has an extremely limited capacity to deliver justice. He recalled that President Erdoğan’s call that “The world is bigger than five,” arose precisely from this context.
Yılmaz said a dangerous mindset has emerged based on the idea that, “If I am powerful, I can do whatever I want.” In response, he said, Türkiye has made it clear: “We are not living in a period when we can rely on anyone’s mercy. We are living in a period of deepening geopolitical rivalry. We will be both strong and in the right. Despite everything that has happened, we will continue working for a more just world without losing our hope in humanity.”
“Under the leadership of our President, Türkiye will continue to stand by the right, the truth, and the oppressed, whatever the cost, to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza; and to defend the Palestinian cause on international platforms. The thing tyrants fear most is the light of truth. And at precisely this point, we will continue to proclaim the truth in a loud and clear voice,” he said.
Yılmaz said Muslim diasporas have great power in the countries where they live to bring Gaza’s voice to the public and decision-makers and to mount an effective social response to narratives that distort the truth. “The framework that we could call an ‘Alliance of the Virtuous’ or an ‘alliance of humanity’ is very important here,” he said.
He stressed that it is necessary to fight against this oppression in solidarity with all people, institutions and organizations that are aware that what is happening in Gaza constitutes a crime against humanity. “By mobilizing this power through a common narrative and continuous coordination, we must turn solidarity with the Palestinian people into a more effective, visible and results-oriented struggle,” he said.
The government’s ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), laid out a list of incentives as Türkiye faces the threat of a growing population decline. The proposals cover everything from free baby food and diapers to discounts for families with three or more children.
Party Deputy Chair Özgür Bayraktar said the proposals were included in a report entitled “Türkiye’s Population Vision,” which they presented to MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli.
Türkiye ranked as the world’s 18th most populous country in 2025, with a population of 86.1 million, while its fertility rate remained below the global average and its population continued to show signs of gradual aging, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) in August.
Türkiye declared 2025 the “Year of the Family,” signaling urgent concern over the country’s declining fertility rates. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan characterized the current demographic trend as a “disaster.”
The report put forward 11 policy recommendations, including restructuring maternity insurance by incorporating it into the long-term insurance branches. It also noted that the premium-day and age requirements for mothers to qualify for retirement should be gradually reduced based on the number of children they have.
Other proposals include a 50% discount on utility bills, covering everything from electricity and natural gas to internet subscriptions, for families with three or more children, flexible and remote working models for mothers, free diapers and baby formula and incentives for young couples seeking to move from big cities to rural areas.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who retook the top post in the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in May, may anger and cheer up Ekrem Imamoğlu at the same time. Opposing a narrative that the former Istanbul mayor was arrested to curb his political rise, Kılıçdaroğlu said Imamoğlu is not “a political prisoner.”
“I also voted for his (future) presidential candidacy, but we have to separate the trials he faced from the presidential candidacy,” he was quoted by Euronews on Tuesday.
Imamoğlu was arrested last year on corruption charges, about two years after he campaigned to oust Kılıçdaroğlu from the CHP’s top post. Özgür Özel succeeded Kılıçdaroğlu in a November 2023 election, but a court ruled that the election should be nullified amid allegations that Özel’s associates in the CHP bribed delegates to vote for him. Özel left his post in May but vowed to appeal the court ruling, only to change his mind two months later and go on to establish New Party (YP) with fellow CHP lawmakers.
In the interview, Kılıçdaroğlu also said that his party may ally with the YP in the next election. The veteran politician, who was branded a “traitor” by YP supporters after he was reinstated to his post by a court ruling, told Euronews that they were open to supporting the YP’s presidential candidate, Imamoğlu, if he is eligible to run in the next election.
“Twenty-four hours is a very long time in politics,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, quoting former President Süleyman Demirel. “Political relations should be based on the country’s interests. Politics have no room for hostility,” he said, on the possibility of an alliance with the YP, whose members fiercely resisted Kılıçdaroğlu’s return to CHP chairpersonship.
Kılıçdaroğlu returned to the CHP with a promise to “clean up” the party of “corruption,” and in the following months, the party parted ways with mayors and others indicted in corruption investigations. Imamoğlu soon joined them. Kılıçdaroğlu said the arrest of Imamoğlu was “not right” but his presidential candidacy should not be linked to the trials against him.
Imamoğlu faces thousands of years in prison for allegedly running a criminal gang that thrived on bribery and corruption at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), while Özel has claimed that he was jailed to prevent his future candidacy in the 2028 elections. Imamoğlu is currently ineligible to run for office because his university diploma was annulled on charges of forgery.
The CHP leader said people accused of corruption should be able to defend themselves and “account for every penny they are accused of stealing.”
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