A court in Ankara has rejected a lawsuit demanding the annulment of the Republican People's Party (CHP) congress held in 2023, allowing the current party leadership to remain in place.
The Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance dismissed the case in today's hearing, citing “lack of legal standing” and “loss of subject matter” as grounds for the decision.
The case was filed by a faction that lost in the party’s internal vote, alleging procedural irregularities, including vote buying, during the congress.
Had the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, the party leadership could have been removed and replaced by a court-appointed trustee.
At the 2023 congress, Özgür Özel defeated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who had led the CHP for 14 years. Özel was backed by suspended İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is currently under arrest on corruption charges.
Following the congress, several lawsuits were filed seeking its annulment by party members. These were merged into a single case in February.
The hearing
In September, the CHP held an extraordinary congress, citing the potential annulment of its 2023 congress. Özgür Özel was re-elected as party chair during this session, which the leadership said aimed to render the annulment case irrelevant.
During today's hearing, CHP lawyers argued that the case had lost its legal basis due to the extraordinary congress. Attorney Çağlar Çağlayan requested the dismissal of the case, stating, “All delegates were replaced through provincial congresses. Even if the original congress is annulled, the necessary processes have already been completed through regular party procedures. Delegates have voted again in the extraordinary congresses.”
He further claimed that the aim of the lawsuit was not to repeat the congress, but to “allow the court to determine who will lead the party without a time limit.”
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Ali Üregen, rejected this argument, asserting that all congresses held by the CHP, including the one in Nov 2023, were legally invalid.
“The 38th Ordinary Congress held on Nov 4-5, 2023 is null and void due to violations of public order and blatant illegality,” Üregen said. He alleged that the election process was manipulated in coordination between then-İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and current CHP Chair Özgür Özel, in breach of Turkey’s Political Parties Law.
The context
The legal battle traces back to a shift in the leadership of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) following its loss in the 2023 presidential election.
Then-CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was held responsible within the party for the defeat, after running and losing against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in what was widely seen as the most challenging election for him in two decades amid deepening economic troubles.
Following the loss, İstanbul's now-suspended mayor and a prominent figure in the party, Ekrem İmamoğlu, launched a “change” movement within the party, opposing Kılıçdaroğlu’s continued leadership. Özgür Özel, backed by İmamoğlu, defeated Kılıçdaroğlu at the Nov 2023 congress, becoming the party’s first new chair in 14 years. Under Özel’s leadership, the CHP went on to achieve a major victory in the 2024 local elections, inflicting the largest electoral defeat on Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in its history.
İmamoğlu, a popular political figure since his 2019 İstanbul mayoral win, had long been seen as a potential presidential candidate for the CHP.
Meanwhile, the faction that lost control of the party challenged the congress results, filing multiple complaints over alleged irregularities. In February, investigations were opened into the İstanbul provincial congress and the national congress.
Separately, İmamoğlu was arrested in March on corruption-related charges and suspended from office. The corruption probes have since expanded to other CHP-held municipalities. More than a dozen CHP mayors, including those of İstanbul, Antalya, and Adana, have now been suspended.
(VK)
