Turkey's CHP grapples with internal split after contested group chairmanship vote

The Republican People's Party (CHP) in Turkey entered a deep internal crisis following a court‑ordered absolute ban on its leadership. After 90‑plus MPs resigned to form a new party, the party’s parliamentary group held a closed‑door election for its group chairmanship. In the first two rounds no candidate secured a majority; Gürsel Erol received the most votes but withdrew in the third round, paving the way for Faik Öztrak to be elected.

Erol used social media to denounce what he called a growing "monopoly" within the CHP, urging that the party remain a forum for free ideas and democratic tradition rather than a vehicle for personal dominance. The legal ban that sparked the defections also threatens the newly created party, prompting its founders to consider further legal safeguards. The turmoil highlights tensions between party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s centralised authority and factions demanding broader internal democracy.