Turkey’s main opposition party, the CHP, is set to hold an extraordinary congress on Sept. 21, after more than 900 delegates submitted signatures to Ankara’s Çankaya District Election Board on September 5.
The move comes amid a growing legal standoff that has rocked the party’s Istanbul branch. Among the signatories, the 196 Istanbul delegates suspended by court order were not included.
The court dissolved the provincial party board and appointed a five-member interim team led by former MP Gürsel Tekin. Two of those appointees—Hasan Babacan and Müjdat Gürbüz—have already stepped down.
The decision, completed in just 36 hours, aims to preempt a possible Ankara court ruling on Sept. 15 that could either invalidate the 38th Ordinary Congress or impose a trustee to oversee party affairs.
Deputy Chair Gül Çiftçi described the congress as a necessary step to defend “pluralism and democratic politics” in the face of what she alleged was government overreach.
Party insiders emphasize that the signatories behind the upcoming congress were elected under the leadership of former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and argue that their mandate remains intact. They say this congress—backed by fresh signatures—will help clear any lingering doubts raised by the court decision, which relates specifically to the November 2023 congress where Özgür Özel was elected party chair. That Congress had near-unanimous participation, with 1,366 out of 1,368 delegates casting votes.
The party last convened an extraordinary congress on April 6, 2025, also at Özel’s request, in an effort to avoid trustee intervention.
ELECTION BOARD CLEARS LOCAL CONGRESSES, UPHOLDS TRUSTEE OVERSIGHT
Prior to CHP’s decision, Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) ruled on Sept. 5 that CHP district congresses in Sarıyer, Tuzla, Bakırköy, Başakşehir, and Ataşehir could proceed—overturning previous suspensions issued by local election boards.
YSK Chair Ahmet Yener said those suspensions were lifted due to what he called “absolute illegality.” However, the board rejected CHP’s appeal challenging the appointment of a trustee to oversee the Istanbul provincial branch, meaning the interim administration will remain in place for now.
The trustee was installed on Sept. 2, after the 45th Civil Court of First Instance suspended Istanbul provincial chair Özgür Çelik and his executive team. The CHP maintains that civil courts have no authority over internal party elections, citing Article 79 of the Constitution, which grants that power exclusively to election boards.
