Özgür Özel: 'We are not in a position to found a new party — nobody should leave'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made a statement to journalists in Manisa following Eid al-Adha prayers, firmly rejecting rumors of divisions within the party.

According to Cumhuriyet newspaper, Özel said, "We are in no position to be founding a new party," and directly addressed CHP members, urging: "Let no one leave their party — do not resign."

Özel also commented on former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. He expressed hope that Kılıçdaroğlu would not "attempt to lead a party he did not come to through an election" — remarks widely read as a signal of his search for a new equilibrium within the party.

The statement came at a time when speculation about figures close to Kılıçdaroğlu potentially establishing a new political structure remained very much alive. Özel's choice to deliver these messages in the symbolically charged setting of Eid prayers — where large crowds gather — was assessed as a deliberate move to prevent intra-party tensions from deepening further.