Turkey's CHP chief Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu vows to purge party of criminal elements

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the chairman of Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP), told CNN Türk that he will remove any members linked to crimes, stressing that the party must reclaim a clean, responsible role in politics for the nation's benefit. He warned, "If they do not leave, I will throw them out," and reaffirmed that the CHP should not bear a "thief's stamp".

CHP parliamentarian Mahir Yüksel later criticised Kılıçdaroğlu's remarks, describing the current political climate as marked by overt operations against the party, collapsing indictments, and the unlawful detention of elected officials and the presidential candidate. Yüksel said the party's response to these pressures is not a mere excuse but a stand against attempts by the ruling authorities to reshape the party's direction.