CHP removes 26 provincial leaders, 7 sent for expulsion

The Republican People's Party (CHP) Central Executive Board, chaired by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, voted to dismiss the party’s provincial heads in 26 provinces. Party spokesperson Müslim Sarı said seven of those former heads – from Denizli, Muğla, Eskişehir, Sinop, Düzce, Kars and Tunceli – were referred to the High Disciplinary Board for expulsion, while six provinces received new chairpersons (Batman, Çanakkale, Mardin, Osmaniye, Niğde and Tunceli).

The purge is part of the broader “mutlak butlan” internal struggle. Earlier, the party’s central board cancelled the representation licence of the CHP Belgium Union, stripping it of authority to act on behalf of the party abroad. The Belgium branch’s leader, Derya Bulduk, rejected the decision, calling the central board’s actions unlawful.

Dismissed officials, such as Eskişehir chair Talat Yalaz and former Manisa chair İlksen Özalper, publicly condemned the moves, accusing the central leadership of overstepping its mandate and vowing to continue the fight. The sweeping reorganisations aim to reinforce party discipline ahead of the upcoming congress.