Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu defends himself amid CHP scandal accusations and funding claims

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), responded to a series of internal allegations. He rejected claims that he did not stand for President Erdoğan, citing a 2014 photo showing him greeting Erdoğan in parliament. He explained that a businessperson, whose identity he did not disclose, had covered his vehicle and security meal expenses after party funds were cut, while the source of his office rent remains unclear.

Kılıçdaroğlu also condemned a “naylon fatura” scheme alleged in Malatya, where a former provincial chairman supposedly paid 10‑20 million TL for newspaper purchases at inflated prices. He vowed to purge party members whose conduct conflicts with CHP ethics and said municipal mayors would be held accountable through the courts.

Separately, Ayça Gülenç, former head of the CHP Karabağlar Youth Branch, was dismissed after visiting newly appointed party official Utku Gümrükçü, a move she denounced as a punitive “criminal admission.” The episode adds to the broader turbulence within the party.