40-Year Member Selahattin Güzel Resigns from CHP

Selahattin Güzel, one of the experienced figures of the Republican People's Party (CHP) and a party member since 1986, announced that he has left his position. Güzel previously served as the Deputy Chairman of the İzmir Provincial Disciplinary Board. The resignation of Güzel, who has approximately forty years of party history, revealed the extent of intra-party tensions. He made serious criticisms directed at the party management as his reason for resignation. This development shows that the political and legal crisis the CHP is facing has gained a new dimension.

In his resignation statement, Güzel explained in detail the judicial process against his party on the grounds of 'butlan' (nullity) and the effects of this process on the party. He claimed that the government carried out interventions lacking legal basis against the party with a political engineering mindset. He alleged that as a result of this process, the party was evacuated by police force and effectively occupied. Güzel reminded that CHP is the founding party of the Republic, established by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He emphasized that these events are incompatible with the historical mission and democratic values of the party.

Güzel, who also harshly criticized the current party management, argued that the management acted in violation of the party constitution and the Political Parties Law. He stated that he did not find the removal of elected provincial chairmen to be in line with democratic customs. He claimed that the disciplinary mechanism was used as a tool of pressure against figures who had served the party. He noted that this management approach divided the party rather than uniting it, leading to deep polarizations. He evaluated the failure to hold an extraordinary congress to re-establish the party's will, while making all kinds of decisions, as an unacceptable attitude.

Touching upon the legal struggle carried out by the party, Güzel expressed his hopelessness regarding a fair decision in this process. He stated that there are intense criticisms that the current judicial system has become politicized, and therefore he believed no outcome would be in their party's favor. Recalling the words of General Chairman Özgür Özel, 'We will either find a way or open a new path,' he emphasized their determination to open this new path. He expressed that their belief in democracy, law, and the will of the people continues. He clearly stated that it is not possible to walk on the same path with the current management approach, and for this reason, he made his resignation decision.

This resignation incident is important in terms of showing how massive the tensions between the CHP's headquarters and local organizations are. It is observed that the trust of the masses who want to protect the founding values of the party in the current management has been shaken. Considering Selahattin Güzel's forty years of experience and his effectiveness in organizations, it is predicted that this resignation could have devastating effects on the balance within the party. The possibility of the intra-party opposition gaining more strength through such separations is a matter of debate. The steps the CHP management will take to prevent such resignations and ensure intra-party unity are curiously awaited in the upcoming period.