CHP lawmaker Bülent Tezcan rejects party dismissals and accuses Erdogan's palace of interference

CHP MPs Bülent Tezcan and Evrim Karakoz protested the Central Executive Board’s decision to remove Aydın provincial chair Hikmet Saatçı and his provincial leadership. They said the dismissals are not recognised, asserting that the Republican People’s Party derives its legitimacy solely from its members and voters, not from the president or the “palace” judiciary.

Tezcan described the situation as a heavy‑handed operation by the palace against the party, claiming that President Erdogan and affiliated courts are attempting to depose CHP officials. He linked the Aydın case to similar actions in Istanbul and Ankara, alleging that recent appointments of prosecutors and other officials are part of a coordinated effort to seize control of party structures and symbolic sites such as the Çankaya Mansion.

The MPs called for an extraordinary party congress and warned that the struggle is between the elected will of the people and a government‑driven attempt to undermine the party’s independence.