Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu gains Etimesgut mayor Erdal Beşikcioğlu’s backing in CHP leadership feud

A Turkish court reinstated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), reigniting internal disputes with Özgür Özel, who had been positioned as a rival candidate.

Etimesgut mayor and actor Erdal Beşikcioğlu was reported by journalist Sinan Burhan to have publicly declared his support for Kılıçdaroğlu, stating that he would remain in the party and back the former leader’s candidacy at the upcoming party congress. The same reports claimed that Beşikcioğlu had a confrontation with a consultant sent by Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, after which the consultant allegedly left his post.

Other party figures, including İzmir MP Ümit Özlale, have faced criticism for commenting on the leadership struggle, prompting former Buca council member Erkut Tamay to denounce such criticism as illegitimate. No official comment has been issued by Beşikcioğlu or CHP officials regarding the allegations.