Bodrum Citizens Initiative Delivers 32,000 Signatures Demanding CHP Congress

The political friction surrounding the Republican People’s Party (CHP) reached the doors of its central office this week. A delegation representing the Bodrum Citizens Initiative, led by spokespeople Ayhan Karahan and Hülya Canko, arrived in Ankara with a physical manifestation of their discontent: a collection of nearly 32,000 signatures printed on A4 paper and joined together to form what they described as the country’s longest chain of wet signatures.

The Demand for an Extraordinary Congress

The campaign, titled Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’nu Bodrum’da İstemiyoruz (We do not want Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in Bodrum), has evolved beyond a local protest into a broader call for party leadership reform. The initiative is operating under the banner of the Cumhuriyet İçin Ayağa Kalk (Rise Up for the Republic) platform. The organizers are explicitly calling on Kılıçdaroğlu to facilitate the process for an extraordinary party congress, arguing that the internal party crisis must be resolved through democratic methods that reflect the will of the base. The platform emphasizes that the party’s current process must allow the will of the party base to be reflected in the ballot box.

For the organizers, the sheer volume of signatures serves as a sociological metric rather than a mere administrative hurdle. This chain symbolizes the common conscience of the people of Bodrum, their belief in democracy, and their demand for change, the group stated in a joint press release. The activists maintain that these signatures represent a powerful sociological field data reflecting the emotions and thoughts of the public. They have characterized their petition as a symbol of the struggle for democracy and law against what they term “nullity” and usurpation of will.

Refusal at the CHP Headquarters

The attempt to deliver these signatures directly to the party leadership ended in a stalemate. The delegation reported that CHP officials refused to accept the documents, and Kılıçdaroğlu did not meet with the activists. This rejection sparked frustration among the organizers, who viewed the act as a failure to listen to the party’s own grassroots supporters. Karahan and Canko noted that they intended to bring the petition to the headquarters specifically so that Kılıçdaroğlu could witness the reaction firsthand.

Stakes and Political Context

The initiative frames its actions as a defense of democratic principles. In their public statement, the organizers emphasized that their goal was not to target any specific individual, but to ensure that the voice of the people reaches its intended recipient without intermediaries. They maintain that the current internal debate regarding the party’s leadership and the push for a congress requires the inclusion of delegate and member input to ensure legitimacy.

As of July 20, 2026, the political landscape within the CHP remains volatile, with the party’s central office declining to comment on the specific petition delivery. While the platform continues to advocate for the extraordinary congress, the refusal of the central leadership to accept the petition suggests that the internal divide over the party’s direction remains unresolved. The activists have confirmed they are returning to Bodrum with the documents in hand, leaving the future of the congress call uncertain.

Sources: Sozcu, ABC Haber.