Özgür Özel gives SHP instructions to his staff

According to the official website of the Court of Cassation Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the SHP, which dissolved its corporate identity and joined the CHP in 1995, was revived 20 days ago on June 28, 2024. The party's headquarters address was listed as Karanfil Street, one of the busiest streets in Ankara. The name of the chairman and contact information were not provided.

As rumors circulated in Ankara political circles that the new SHP might have been established under the leadership of former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Kılıçdaroğlu provided an assessment on the subject.

In an interview with Vedat Yenerer, when asked, "Are you going to establish a new party?" Kılıçdaroğlu replied, "I have not left politics. I am right in the middle of it. I have never thought about establishing a new party. The party is clear: it is the CHP."

FOUNDERS ARE UNKNOWN

In the following hours, the founding staff of the party was revealed to the press. The founders of the Social Democratic Populist Party consist of the following names:

"Abdullah Çapar, Ahmet Arslan, Akın Gülay, Aziz Kızılarslan, Berat Umut Hoşgör, Burak Çelik, Diler Korkmaz, Doğukan Akdeniz, Emirkan Akdeniz, Emre Can Dursun, Enes Çelik, Engin Akyıldırım, Erdal Kayhan, Erdem Kaya, Erhan Kardeş, Gürkan Çelik, Hasan Korkmaz, İsmail Berk Güldoğan, Jale Ak, Kadriye Çelik, Mervenur Çelik, Mithat Çelik, Mücahit Çetinkaya, Okan Kanpara, Onur Karataş, Osman Ali Cavcı, Sabriye İçkilli, Selahattin Kardeş, Şaban Ergül, Tamer Demircan, Yunus Diler, Zülfü Hamit Altın."

Although the founding staff has been revealed, the uncertainty surrounding the party has not ended. This is because the founding names were not familiar to CHP executives, members of parliament, or journalists. Internet searches regarding the founders also yielded no satisfactory results. The number of followers on the social media accounts of many of them was under 10, and there was almost no content regarding their involvement in politics. Even though the founding staff has been announced, the question of which politician led the establishment of the SHP and for what purpose remains unanswered.

ÖZEL REQUESTED AN INVESTIGATION

According to a report by Ceren Bayar from Gazete Duvar; The establishment of the SHP was also brought up during yesterday's CHP Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting. While many MYK members learned of the establishment during this meeting, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel asked Deputy Chairman for Legal and Election Affairs Gül Çiftçi to investigate the issue.

Özel also requested an examination into whether there are any legal obstacles to the re-establishment of the SHP, which dissolved itself and joined the CHP in 1995, and to the use of the SHP name and logo.

CHP officials stated that they are aware such an initiative would have no social resonance and has nothing to do with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. While many CHP executives believe this move is not well-intentioned, they noted that it is suspicious that none of the founders are from the political scene and that no information about the party can be accessed, assessing that, "This may not be an innocent initiative; it could be an attempt to set the CHP back, but they will not achieve results."