A district election board in Ankara on Wednesday rejected the applications of two party delegates seeking to cancel the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) extraordinary congress scheduled for Sunday, the Cumhuriyet daily reported.
The CHP had called the extraordinary congress in response to a lawsuit seeking cancellation of its ordinary congress held in November 2023 that saw Özgür Özel elected as party chair, replacing Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who had led the CHP for over 13 years.
Both of the delegates are known for their support for the party’s former leader, Kılıçdaroğlu.
The call to convene an extraordinary congress is considered a precautionary step to protect the leadership’s legitimacy amid the court challenge. By holding a new vote with fresh delegate support, the CHP aims to reduce the risk that a ruling annulling the 2023 congress could unseat Özel or leave the party in a leadership vacuum.
Turkish prosecutors have filed charges against 12 people, including İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, over alleged irregularities during the 2023 ordinary congress. The indictment accuses the suspects of interfering in the election in violation of Turkey’s political parties law.
Several CHP delegates were allegedly offered cash, municipal jobs, council or mayoral candidacies and even supermarket shopping cards in exchange for voting support. Prosecutors are seeking prison terms of up to three years and a political ban for all accused.
The investigation into the CHP ordinary congress followed remarks by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who, during a February 2024 speech to his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), described the opposition’s congress as “tainted” and claimed that Kılıçdaroğlu had been removed through a “fraudulent process.”
