CHP reelects Istanbul leader in extraordinary congress

ISTANBUL

Supreme Election Council head Ahmet Yener.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) reelected its ousted provincial leader in Istanbul on Sept. 24 in an extraordinary congress that went ahead despite a court request to halt the gathering.

Hours before the vote, an Istanbul court asked for a stay of proceedings against the party, but the CHP pressed forward as the Supreme Election Council (YSK) convened and rejected the request.

Nearly 600 delegates gathered in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district to cast ballots. Özgür Çelik, who was dismissed from his post on Sept. 2 by court order over alleged irregularities in the 2023 congress, was the only candidate on the ballot and secured a return to office.

"Those who understand that they cannot defeat us through elections are trying to stop us with unlawful court decisions," Çelik told supporters.

He framed the CHP's efforts as part of a “liberation struggle,” pledging that the party would win power and “ensure social peace” in Türkiye.

Türkiye’s next general elections are slated for 2028, though the CHP has been pushing for early polls, with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, its presidential hopeful, still arrested since March on corruption charges.

An Ankara court earlier dismissed a case seeking to annul the 2023 congress, but a separate ruling removed Çelik and the provincial leadership, prompting the party to call the Sept. 24 event.

The court later combined that case with another, challenging the CHP’s November 2023 convention that elevated Özgür Özel as party leader.

In that case, the next hearing is set for Oct. 24, though CHP officials argue that Özel’s reelection at a Sept. 21 extraordinary congress renders it moot.

The court appointment of former MP Gürsel Tekin as interim provincial chair in Istanbul has sparked protests earlier this month. Tekin arrived under heavy police protection and was met with boos from party members angered that he accepted the position.

Speaking to journalists, Tekin said his goal was not to inflame the situation. “We will do everything in our power to put an end to the legal troubles our party has been subjected to in the court corridors,” he said.

Party officials later announced that Istanbul’s provincial headquarters would function as Özel’s "work office."