CHP's Özçağdaş says 'They have dismissed 52 of our provincial chairs': Claiming to unite the party

The dismissal decisions targeting provincial chairs by the administration of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who assumed the CHP chairmanship following a court ruling of absolute nullity, have escalated tensions within the party. 

CHP Deputy Chairman Suat Özçağdaş, in a statement following the recent dismissal of 8 more provincial chairs, criticized the administration harshly, arguing that the will of the organization is being targeted.

"52 provincial chairs have been dismissed"

In a post on his social media account, CHP Deputy Chairman Suat Özçağdaş claimed that purges targeting party organizations have continued since the Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu administration took office.

Stating that 8 more provincial chairs were recently dismissed, Özçağdaş said, "Since the day they occupied our party, they have dismissed 9 of our deputies, including 2 group deputy chairmen, and a total of 52 provincial chairs so far."

"They are targeting the will of the organization"

Arguing that the dismissal decisions damage intra-party democracy, Özçağdaş claimed that elected provincial chairs are being purged.

In his post, he assessed, "Those who claim to unite the party while purging elected provincial chairs are escalating this lawlessness that ignores the will of the organization with each passing day. There is no divided party here; there is a mindset trying to destroy the Republican People's Party from within by dismissing those who were elected."

"It derives its legitimacy from the organization"

Asserting that provincial chairs derive their legitimacy not from court rulings but from the will of the party organization, Özçağdaş stated that they do not recognize the dismissal decisions.

In his statement, he included the words, "Our provincial chairs derive their legitimacy not from court rulings, but from the will of the organization. Therefore, neither your dismissal decisions nor the accusations you level hold any validity for us."

"We will not surrender to the trustee mindset"

Emphasizing the will of the party organizations at the end of his post, Özçağdaş stated that the organizational structure of the CHP will be protected.

Özçağdaş stated, "The will of the Republican People's Party lies with its organization; we will not surrender that will to any trustee mindset."

“Those who target the will of the organization by calling the elected administration 'divisive' have dismissed 8 more of our provincial chairs today. Since the day they occupied our party, they have dismissed 9 of our deputies, including 2 group deputy chairmen, and a total of 52 provincial chairs so far...”

— Suat Özçağdaş (@Suat_Ozcagdas) July 16, 2026