CHP provincial leaders back Kılıçdaroğlu as internal conflict heatens up

Photo: Canan Kaftancıoğlu / Twitter

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Canan Kaftancıoğlu, İstanbul's provincial chairperson of the Republican People's Party (CHP), shared a joint statement by the party's 81 provincial chairpersons on Twitter following a closed-door meeting led by CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at the party's headquarters yesterday (June 21).

The statement underscored the significance of ideas and principles in achieving lasting change while criticizing attempts to undermine the CHP chair's credibility.

The presidential runner-up has faced criticism for not resigning after his defeats in the May 14 and May 28 elections, which concluded with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan securing both the parliament and the presidency.

'Change is a magical word with allure'

Nevertheless, the CHP local heads seem to stand firm with their leader. "Change is a magical word with allure. However, it is the ideas and principles rather than individuals that will bring about lasting change and transformation," they noted in their joint statement, adding that nobody in the party is exempt from criticism, including their leader.

"It should also be known that we do not approve of approaches that aim to undermine our chairperson, whom we have personally witnessed working harder than any of us during the election process," the provincial leaders continue, further announcing their intention to evaluate and address any shortcomings within the party ahead of the March 2024 local polls, emphasizing that they will strive for success and become a source of hope for society.

'Majority of chairpersons unlikely to accept this text'

In response to the joint statement, İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said today (June 22), "I don't think this text is one that even a large majority of the 81 provincial chairpersons would accept."

The CHP heavyweight had previously highlighted the inevitability of change following President Erdoğan's election triumph, stressing that using the same approaches will not yield different results.

After the dual elections, in which Kılıçdaroğlu secured 44.8% of the votes in the first round and 47.82% in the runoff, all 17 board members of the CHP resigned, and the presidential contender dismissed all of his advisors. (VC/WM)