CHP Split Deepens: Kılıçdaroğlu Vows Congress 'As Soon As Possible'; Özel Holds Rival Ankara Rally

Turkey's main opposition CHP was publicly split on May 31, 2026 as court-installed interim chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and ousted leader Özgür Özel held competing events in Ankara on the same day. Kılıçdaroğlu, speaking at CHP headquarters, pledged to hold a 'clean, completely transparent' party congress 'as soon as possible' but gave no specific date — a vagueness that critics within the party said was designed to maintain his court-backed position for as long as possible. Özel, addressing supporters at a separate rally, challenged Kılıçdaroğlu directly: 'Set a date for the convention — I'm ready to compete against whichever delegate you want.' The dueling events cemented the public perception of a fractured party and renewed commentary that the split weakened resistance to Erdoğan ahead of the 2028 presidential election. International observers noted the irony: Erdoğan's judicial campaign to destroy the opposition had instead mobilized millions of Turks to the streets. The Jerusalem Post observed that Özel's rallies were drawing crowds larger than any opposition event in Turkey in at least a decade.