Court postpones trial on CHP convention row till October
ANKARA
Journalists wait outside the court in Ankara, where a hearing on corruption charges could upend the leadership of main opposition party, Republican People's Party (CHP), in Ankara on Sept. 15.
An Ankara court has postponed until Oct. 24 the hearing on a lawsuit seeking to annul the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) convention in 2023.
During a hearing on Sept. 15, plaintiffs again demanded the reinstatement of former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his executive board as a precautionary measure until a final ruling. The court ruled there was no need to issue an interim injunction.
In preparation, the CHP had filed for an extraordinary convention on Sept. 21 with signatures from more than 900 delegates to shield its leadership from dismissal through a ruling of "absolute nullity."
The lawsuit, consolidated from multiple cases filed by former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş and other delegates, alleges that the CHP’s 38th ordinary convention on Nov. 4-5, 2023, was marred by bribery, with delegates purportedly offered money.
It is also seeking to annul an extraordinary convention held on April 6, 2024, during which Özgür Özel was reelected party leader shortly after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s detention.
Earlier hearings rejected requests to suspend Özel’s leadership as a precaution. Meanwhile, prosecutors submitted an indictment alleging vote-buying by CHP delegates to a high criminal court after a lower court declared itself without jurisdiction. That appeal remains pending.
The legal saga also follows weeks of turbulence within the party’s Istanbul branch. Interim provincial chair Gürsel Tekin’s arrival on Sept. 8 sparked protests from officials and supporters, after the previous leadership was suspended over alleged irregularities in a 2023 congress.
The CHP later announced that its Istanbul provincial headquarters would instead serve as Özel’s "work office," and scheduled an extraordinary provincial congress for Sept. 24. Later, a court on Sept. 11 rejected a bid to annul the Istanbul congress on procedural grounds.
On Sept. 14, CHP staged a rally in the capital ahead of the hearing.
The event held in Tandoğan Square drew a heavy turnout from nearby provinces.
"This government does not want democracy... But mark my words, we will bring democracy, justice and peace. These squares, these protests, this resistance will do it," Özel told supporters.
"It's not just CHP members here today. Workers are here, retirees are here, women are here, democrats from different parties are here. We are here in this square, arm in arm, representing all the colors of the Türkiye alliance."
Authorities closed several roads around the rally area, and CHP officials met with citizens in the lead-up to the gathering as part of outreach activities.
