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Several former delegates of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) filed a petition to an Ankara court on Wednesday, for the nullification of provincial congresses of the party recently held ahead of the party’s 39th Convention. The convention, yet to be scheduled, is expected to include an intraparty election and will likely cement leader Özgür Özel’s leadership.
The petition is the continuation of delegates’ legal battle to annul a 2023 election at the party that brought Özel to power in Türkiye’s oldest party. The delegates, including former mayor of Hatay province for the CHP, Lütfü Savaş, claim Özel’s associates were engaged in fraud in the November 2023 vote for his election. Savaş and other plaintiffs say in a separate case that voting delegates were offered cash and other incentives to sway the election in favor of Özel, who defeated his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. On Friday, the next hearing of that lawsuit will be held in Ankara.
The plaintiffs on Wednesday asked the 42nd Court of the capital to declare provincial congresses illegitimate, claiming that the upcoming convention and the other two held in April and September were attempts by the Özel administration to gain legitimacy. Plaintiffs say in their petition that the current administration “hijacked” the chairpersonship of the CHP, and, as long as they are in power, every convention should be viewed as the “fruit of a poisonous tree.”
Their plea found a threatening response from Özel. Speaking to journalists in Istanbul on Wednesday, Özel said, “The day will come when we will hold them accountable too.” “Let them engage in futility. They know little about Özgür Özel. They will soon get to know us well,” Özel said threateningly.
The CHP’s Party Assembly will convene on Thursday and is expected to set a date for the 39th Convention after the last congress, held on Wednesday, to pick delegates eligible for voting in the intraparty elections.
The CHP bought time for its leadership when an Ankara court adjourned a Sept. 15 hearing on the November 2023 election.
The Özel administration denies allegations in the case, but they are also making preparations in case the court sides with the plaintiffs and rules that Özel’s chairpersonship is null and void. In that case, Özel will be replaced with a court-appointed trustee and this very well may be someone from inside the party. Kılıçdaroğlu has reportedly stepped forward to take over the temporary post. Another court’s verdict in Istanbul that rendered the administrator of the CHP’s branch in the city may set a precedent for the Ankara court. In that case, linked to the one in Ankara, the party’s Istanbul chair, Özgür Çelik, was replaced with a trustee: Kılıçdaroğlu’s former vice chair, Gürsel Tekin.
Kılıçdaroğlu earlier called on the Özel administration to clear the suspicion about the November 2023 election, but the party appears intent on an all-out offensive in its legal battle. The Sabah newspaper reported on Sunday that the administration seeks ways to block the legal proceedings. Özel reportedly ordered all lawmakers to stay in Ankara on the day of the hearing and will convene the party’s provincial branch heads in the capital as well, as they try to portray the legal battle as a resistance against what they claim are politically motivated charges.
If the court rejects the plaintiffs’ plea for cancellation of the November 2023 election, Özel will score a big victory amid the other legal woes his party faces, namely corruption investigations into a number of mayors of the party. Friday’s hearing may also be postponed once again and this will also give respite for the administration.
Nevertheless, if the court rules for “absolute nullification” of the election or orders a temporary suspension order for the party’s administration, the CHP will have more things to worry about than the fate of mayors arrested for bribes and rampant corruption. An absolute nullification verdict will render all decisions made by Özel for the party’s future and inner workings. Thus, it will pave the way for the reinstatement of Kılıçdaroğlu as the party’s rightful chair.
The court can also rule for temporary suspension of the Özel administration and order the appointment of a delegation until the party holds its next election.
