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Turkey’s main opposition party calls emergency congress to 'prevent government takeover'
The CHP's 2023 congress is under investigation over allegations of voting fraud, which could potentially lead to the dismissal of the party's current leadership.
Özgür Özel, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has announced that the party will hold an extraordinary congress on Apr 6. The move comes amid concerns that the party leadership could be removed through legal action.
“We are declaring to the whole country that by calling an extraordinary congress, we are preventing any trustee attempts,” Özel said during a press conference held today at İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
The concern over possible state intervention in the CHP stems from an investigation into the party’s Nov 2023 congress, where Özel assumed its leadership. On Feb 10, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an iinvestigation into allegations that delegates were offered money, mobile phones, and housing in exchange for votes in favor of Özel. The investigation is expected to hear testimony from party officials involved in the congress.
One week before the investigation was made public, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had described the congress as “tainted.”
Today, Rasim Ozan Kütahyalı, a pro-government pundit, claimed in an interview with the Ensonhaber news portal that the congress would be annulled due to procedural violations and that a trustee would be temporarily appointed to the party. He suggested that a new congress would eventually hand control of the CHP to figures close to former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in what he called as part of "a project of the state.”
In the 2023 congress, Özel ended Kılıçdaroğlu’s 14-year tenure. His victory followed "change" campaign spearheaded by İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, after Kılıçdaroğlu’s loss to Erdoğan in the presidential election that year.
On Mar 19, İmamoğlu was detained along with nearly 100 municipal officials as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terrorism-related offenses. He had been expected to run unopposed in the CHP’s presidential primary scheduled for Mar 23, with a formal nomination anticipated afterward.
“The prosecutor’s office is conducting a covert investigation in İstanbul aimed at disrupting the CHP and preventing it from naming a presidential candidate,” Özel said. “They’ve done everything they can to block the primary. Finally, just four days before the vote, they detained Mr. İmamoğlu. The goal is to halt the campaign and stop the primary from taking place.”
He added that the primary would still be held as planned.
Explained: The broader context behind Turkey’s crackdown on İstanbul mayor
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Since İmamoğlu’s detention, CHP leaders have been based at the municipality building in İstanbul’s Fatih district, while mass protests have continued for three days in nearby Saraçhane Square. Crowds have swelled, particularly in the evenings. Speaking to demonstrators on Thursday, Özel declared, “We will no longer do politics in conference halls but in the streets.”
Government officials have criticized the statement as irresponsible and provocative, insisting that legal defense should take place “in court, not on the streets.”
İmamoğlu, who remains in custody, has issued messages via his lawyers. In a post shared on social media, he referred to Saraçhane as “the people's house” and “İstanbul’s democracy square.”
İmamoğlu’s detention: CHP leader vows to 'bring politics to streets' as demonstrations grow
21 March 2025
Background
İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and dozens of others, most of them municipal officials, were detained in police raids on the morning of Mar 19. The operation came just days before İmamoğlu was expected to be declared the Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate in the party’s presidential primary scheduled for Mar 23.
Authorities have launched two separate investigations involving a total of 106 suspects. One centers on terrorism-related charges, while the other involves alleged corruption.
The terrorism probe focuses on the CHP’s cooperation with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party during last year’s local elections. The two parties collaborated at the district level, with DEM refraining from fielding candidates in some areas to support the CHP, while in other districts, DEM members ran on CHP lists and were elected to municipal councils. This strategy, dubbed the “urban consensus,” helped the CHP win 26 out of İstanbul’s 39 district municipalities and secure a majority in the metropolitan council.
Prosecutors allege that this alliance was orchestrated by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), citing public statements by PKK leaders during the campaign urging cooperation with the opposition. The first arrest linked to the investigation was Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, a Kurdish academic, who was jailed and removed from office in January. Ten more officials from six district municipalities were arrested in February. The investigation has since expanded to include İmamoğlu.
The corruption investigation, which affects 100 of the 106 suspects, involves allegations of bribery, embezzlement, fraud, and bid rigging in municipal subsidiaries. İmamoğlu is accused of leading a criminal organization for profit.
The CHP has described the operation as a "coup" against an elected mayor and called for public demonstrations. Saraçhane Square, in front of the metropolitan municipality building, has become the focal point of protests, where CHP leader Özgür Özel addresses large crowds each evening.
University students have also staged protests in various cities. While most gatherings have remained peaceful, clashes between demonstrators and police have led to daily detentions. Dozens more have been detained in home raids linked to the protests.
Authorities imposed internet restrictions on the morning of İmamoğlu’s detention, severely slowing access to major social media and messaging platforms. The bandwidth throttling, which rendered many apps nearly unusable, lasted for around 42 hours.
Additionally, the Interior Ministry has detained numerous individuals over protest-related posts on social media. Court orders have blocked access to various leftist and student group accounts.
(VK)
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