Political Storm in CHP: Cemil Tugay Resigns and Calls for the Formation of a New Party

Deep Political Crisis in the CHP: Turmoil and Splits

The CHP system is in turmoil against the backdrop of a sharp internal conflict between the Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu camp and the camp of Özgür Özel. Cemil Tugay, the Mayor of Izmir, announced his official resignation from the party. In various interviews reported in Haber Gündem, Tugay stated that he is acting in coordination with Özgür Özel and that "a new party will be established and I will be there." Tugay emphasized that he would not join any other group and completely denied rumors about a move to the AKP party.

Sources identified with Özgür Özel's camp, as reported in Gündem Hattı, report that they are preparing for legal proceedings regarding a petition to convene a party congress, after claiming that sufficient signatures required by the bylaws have been submitted. On the other hand, the channel gdh notes that while one side is talking about preserving the party, the other side is already preparing a "backup party."

At the same time, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's media appearance sparked sharp criticism. Journalist Ahmet Hakan, in his column cited in Sputnik Türkiye, claimed that the interview was "scripted" to "destroy Kılıçdaroğlu," noting that the questions asked were suspiciously too soft. On the other hand, political scientist Prof. Barış Doster, in a publication by Gündem Haber, assessed that Kılıçdaroğlu is in a state of "psychological and moral collapse."

From within the conservative camp, Haber Gündem brings the words of AKP Member of Parliament Osman Gökçek, who praises President Erdoğan's ability to identify "arrogant people" from afar. Meanwhile, mutual accusations continue within the CHP, as Ali Haydar Fırat in Haber Gündem attacked Istanbul's Ekrem İmamoğlu, claiming he has turned the party into a "bib" for himself and that the CHP "cannot be run like a football club."