Court removes leadership of Turkey's main opposition party

An Ankara court has ordered the temporary removal of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel and the party administration, declaring the party's 2023 leadership congress an "absolute nullity" after reviewing an appeal.

Former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his executive team will take over the party leadership temporarily, according to the verdict reached by 36th Civil Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice.

The case has been ongoing since 2024 over allegations of irregularities, including vote-buying, during congress where the new leadership wae elected, ending Kılıçdaroğlu's 14-year spell.

The court also annulled an extraordinary congress held by the CHP in September while this case was ongoing, which aimed to secure the leadership's position regardless of the trial's outcome.

The ruling is open to appeal.

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Reactions from Özel, İmamoğlu

After the ruling, hundreds of CHP members gathered outside the party headquarters in İstanbul and Ankara to protest the ruling. Crowds also chanted against Kılıçdaroğlu, calling him a "traitor" for accepting the decision.

CHP leader Özgür Özel responded to the ruling in a statement on social media:

"I am not promising you a path to power through a rose garden. I am promising you that we will endure the pain, but we will not surrender. I am promising you honor, dignity, courage, and struggle!"

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the suspended mayor of İstanbul who remains in custody following his detention last year on corruption charges, also released a statement on social media calling the ruling "null and void."

"This is not merely a coup against the CHP; it is a coup against Turkey, democracy, and the Republic. It is an attempt to destroy the constitutional order.

"The matter is serious. It transcends party lines. It is time for the nation to stand up for Turkey."

Kılıçdaroğlu welcomes decision

Kılıçdaroğlu welcomed the decision, telling the pro-government broadcaster TGRT Haber, "May it be beneficial for the party."

He later released a statement on social media:

“The Republican People’s Party is the charter of our nation’s sovereignty. The court’s decision regarding our 38th Ordinary Congress should not be a cause for division, but rather an opportunity to unite under the shade of our century-old plane tree. Today is not a day to tear each other apart with shouts of joy. Today is the day to set aside grievances and rise up with seriousness, calmness, and unity. We must manage this process not with ‘what-ifs,’ but with seriousness, the sincerity we draw from our party culture, and collective wisdom.

“It is not personal advancement that matters, but the future of Turkey. In this context, we will carry out this process in full harmony and cooperation with our former Party Chairpersons, Party Council members, Members of Parliament, and provincial and district chairpersons. Let no one worry; we will guide our party through these discussions and continue our march toward power. I call on everyone to remain calm and act with collective wisdom. We stand united.”

Yesterday, he released a video on social media criticizing the current leadership and calling for "cleansing."

Throughout the process, Kılıçdaroğlu and party figures close to him publicly accused the current administration of wrongdoing on several occasions, regarding both the party congress and a widespread corruption crackdown on party-run municipalities, which saw more than 30 mayors suspended and arrested.

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The CHP leadership views these legal processes as politically motivated, describing them as an attempt to take revenge on the party after its success in the 2024 local elections, where it managed to significantly surpass the ruling AKP for the first time in its 24-year rule.

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Background

The case traces back to a shift in the leadership of the CHP following the 2023 presidential and parliamentary election, where Recep Tayyip Erdoğan secured his third term as the president.

Kılıçdaroğlu was held responsible within the party for the defeat, after running and losing against Erdoğan in what was widely seen as the most challenging election for him in two decades amid deepening economic troubles.

Following the election 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 leader in 14 years.

Members of the faction that lost control of the party challenged the congress results, alleging irregularities such as buying delegates' votes with cash and party posts. In Feb 2025, an investigation was opened into the congress. Separately, İmamoğlu was arrested in Mar 2025 on corruption-related charges and suspended from office. 

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Annulment cases filed by various members of the party were merged into a single file at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance on Feb 14, 2025, and the court held the first hearing on Apr 17, 2025.

There were two dimensions to the case, with one focusing on the criminal elements and the other on the procedural aspects of the party congress. Regarding the criminal aspect, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office indicted 12 individuals, including İmamoğlu, for rigging a vote on Jun 3, 2025, seeking prison sentences from one to three years.

On Oct 24, 2025, the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance ruled that there was no need to render a judgment on the merits regarding the case, on the grounds that the case had become moot. The court also dismissed the merged files, which included the request for the annulment of the Sep 2025 extraordinary congress, due to a lack of hostility. In the 22-page reasoned decision announced on Nov 10, 2025, the court noted that party organs were re-elected at the new congresses and conventions, and that these elections were certified by district election boards, therefore no legal interest remained regarding the old congresses whose annulment was sought.

The decision was subsequently appealed. Examining the file, the Ankara Regional Court of Justice 36th Civil Chamber today ordered the temporary removal of Özel and the party administration, and ruled that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his executive team take over the leadership.

(VC/VK)