Court removes Istanbul CHP leaders, appoints pro-Erdoğan officials
CHP provincial chairman Özgür Çelik and his team have been removed from office, replaced by interim officials, led by Gürsel Tekin, a longtime party member who has been less critical of the government. The party’s national leader Özgür Özel expelled Tekin from the party, pledging the same fate for anyone who accepts to be court-appointed.
Istanbul (AsiaNews) – The Turkish government has dealt a new, severe blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main opposition through the courts.
A court removed the top officials of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Istanbul yesterday, appointing a "board of directors" to manage day-to-day affairs.
For many observers, the move is yet another attack on the country's democracy and an attempt, through legal action, to weaken the main political challenger to the power of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The CHP is the only party capable of contesting Erdoğan’s power, this despite the arrest of some prominent party officials on trumped-up charges, starting with its top leader, Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, who was expected to face off with Erdoğan in the next presidential elections.
Last March, the first citizen of Turkey's economic and business capital, was arrested, another sign of the country’s renewed slide toward authoritarianism.
Yesterday, the 45th Civil Court of First Instance invalidated the CHP's October 2023 provincial congress, which included the election of provincial leaders.
In one sweep, provincial chairman Özgür Çelik and his executive team were removed, while nearly 200 local delegates were suspended. This effectively froze the party's internal electoral process, sweeping away the choices party members had made.
To maintain a semblance of legality, the court decided to appoint a five-person caretaker committee headed by Gürsel Tekin, a longtime party official who had previously served as general secretary under provincial party chief Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The other trustees are Zeki Şen, Hasan Babacan, Müjdat Gürbüz, and Erkan Narsap.
Tekin expressed surprise at the appointment, but pledged to "take the party to a congress in unity" and "help free it from the corridors of courthouses.”
Given the turn of events, the CHP reacted immediately, meeting last night to discuss the situation and future steps to preserve its leadership. One of the first moves was Gürsel Tekin’s immediate expulsion, after he accepted the court’s decision to run the party’s provincial branch.
After announcing the decision, the party's national chairman, Özgür Özel, appeared live on the pro-opposition Halk TV network, to explain the move.
“Gürsel Tekin has been expelled from the CHP. No one who has not been elected by CHP members can enter our headquarters or provincial offices," adding that the party would not respect the court's decision and expel anyone who accepts the post of interim leader.
The CHP, established by the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is the country’s oldest political party and the main rival to Erdoğan's AKP.
Its provincial branch in Istanbul is considered the most important in the country, as the city of 16 million is not only the nation's economic hub but also a political stronghold for the imprisoned Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Erdoğan's main rival.
The court ruling comes amid broader legal scrutiny of the party's internal votes. Last week, prosecutors filed charges against 10 CHP officials, including Çelik and two Istanbul district mayors, calling for custodial sentences of up to three years for alleged irregularities at the same 2023 provincial congress.
In a separate case, a court is deciding whether the CHP's national congress, which elected current president Özgür Özel in November 2023 and ended Kılıçdaroğlu's long tenure, should be overturned.
Local political experts say these cases are linked and of great political significance for the country's future.
İmamoğlu has strongly supported Özel in his challenge to the party's old leadership.
Critics and opponents believe the trials and legal battles are part of a scheme aimed at weakening the party wing supporting Istanbul's mayor, while avoiding an outright ban given the CHP’s historic and symbolic place in the country.
Kılıçdaroğlu, who lost the leadership vote, has not ruled out returning if the courts overturn the party congress.
Meanwhile, pro-government media and Erdoğan himself have questioned the legitimacy of the opposition's internal elections.
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04/01/2008
