Main opposition holds congress to reelect leader

ANKARA

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) held an extraordinary congress to reelect its leader on Sept. 21 as the party faces a barrage of legal challenges.

The move comes as the CHP seeks to shore up its leadership in the face of a potentially damaging lawsuit seeking to oust Özgür Özel as leader.

The lawsuit, which had its second hearing on Sept. 15, aims to overturn the result of CHP's November 2023 congress, which elected Özel, on grounds of alleged vote rigging.

Taking place in the capital Ankara, the CHP congress looked to forge a strategy going forward in a move Özel has described as "an entirely technical and legal manoeuvre" to protect the party's leadership.

At the Sept. 21 gathering, over 900 party members voted to re-elect Özel, who was the only one running.

Under his leadership, CHP won notable gains over the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the March 2024 local elections.

The party has been facing a wave of arrests and legal cases that peaked in March with the jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, CHP's candidate for the 2028 presidential election, on corruption allegations that he denies.

On Sept. 2, a court ousted the leader of CHP's Istanbul branch, Özgür Çelik, after annulling the outcome of the October 2023 provincial congress that elected him and 195 others. The next hearing in the CHP case is scheduled for Oct. 24.

Meanwhile, CHP's Istanbul branch will hold its own extraordinary congress on Sept. 24 to reelect its leadership.