CHP headquarters wall vandalism sparks internal party dispute

A slur reading “Hain Kemal” (traitor Kemal) was found on the wall of the Republican People's Party (CHP) headquarters in Ankara after the party’s 38th ordinary congress and the ensuing “absolute annulment” of the congress results. The writing appeared in an office that some reports claimed belonged to CHP deputy chair Gökçe Gökçen.

Party figure Ali Haydar Fırat suggested the author was a woman who had “parachuted in,” but did not identify her. Gökçe Gökçen later issued a statement denying she wrote the message, saying her office was ransacked while she was away, personal belongings were shuffled, and she would review security footage to determine who entered the room.

The incident has highlighted tensions within the party as it deals with the fallout from the annulment decision.