CHP crisis deepens with bodyguard incident and internal 'third‑way' faction push

After the CHP's 38th ordinary congress was dissolved by an absolute annulment decision, tensions flared at the party's headquarters on 24 May. Non‑party security personnel were brought in as alleged “bodyguards,” later saying they did not know why they were taken to the building and were caught in a scuffle as stones were thrown.

Within the party, a group of about 15 MPs calling themselves “third‑way” or “neither Özalist nor Kemalist” have drafted a joint statement demanding an early ordinary congress, insisting that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu not run for the presidency and that the congress be held by January. The faction includes figures such as Gürsel Erol, Ali Öztunç and Engin Altay and warns that failure to meet its demands could trigger resignations or defections to the newly formed Yeni Parti.

The split is echoed locally in Trabzon, where several mayors and party officials have resigned from the CHP to join the Yeni Parti, reshaping the city council's composition ahead of its September meeting.