Former Kadıköy CHP leaders back Özgür Özel, call for extraordinary congress

A group of former Kadıköy district chairs from Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) have released a joint statement backing party leader Özgür Özel and other elected officials. The statement comes amid ongoing internal debates about a judicial process and the possibility of a party congress.

"Our party cannot be redesigned by any judicial intervention," the former chairs declared. They contend that a politicized judiciary is attempting to neutralize the CHP, which draws its strength from the "National Struggle" and the "founder's courage," by using baseless accusations to create a controlled opposition. The signatories assert that the party, with its century-long history of drawing power from its members, organization, and congresses, cannot be reshaped by such means.

The group called for an extraordinary party congress as the legitimate and definitive solution to what they describe as an "unlawful attempt." They stated, "The Republican People's Party is the party of organizational will, not personal ambition." They also drew a line, saying, "We have no common path with those who struggle for seats by entering our headquarters with police." Their path, they declared, is "the path to power."

"We, as the elected Kadıköy District Chairs who have kept the CHP's six arrows alive even during coup periods, respectfully announce to the public that we stand by our elected leader Özgür Özel, who made our party the number one party in Turkey after 47 years, and all our elected officials," the statement concluded. The declaration was signed by Ünsal Tüzün, Rasim Ekşi, Güven Aydoğmuş, Ümit Silan, Gündüz Süer, Aykurt Nuhoğlu, Kadir Gökmen Öğüt, Şefik Toprak, and Necati Ekşi.

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Bizler, darbe dönemlerinde dahi Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi'nin altı okunu yaşatan geçmişten bugüne seçilmiş Kadıköy İlçe Başkanları olarak; partimizi 47 yıl sonra Türkiye'nin birinci partisi yapan seçilmiş Genel Başkanımız Özgür Özel'in ve tüm seçilmişlerimizin yanında olduğumuzu kamuoyuna saygıyla duyururuz.