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The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) took a sigh of relief on Sept. 15 when a trial on its 2023 election was postponed. But it only bought time as infighting in Türkiye’s oldest party may speed up the demise of the current administration.
Ahead of the Oct. 24 hearing where an Ankara court is expected to issue a verdict on the “shady election” that Chair Özgür Özel and his associates are accused of bribing delegates to vote for him, the CHP seeks new measures to keep the administration intact. Among them is the rescheduling of a December convention to an earlier date. Özel has already won an April election at the party, which was held to cement his rule against a future verdict, but he still risks losing his seat if the court renders his November 2023 election null and void.
In July, the CHP administration unexpectedly announced a new congress calendar, without waiting for the court’s ruling. The move, widely seen by the party’s dissidents as a preemptive maneuver against a potential annulment, aimed to overhaul the delegate structure entirely.
Reports indicate that the Özel administration sought to replace up to 70% of the current delegates who are eligible to vote in an intraparty election and exclude all potential dissident groups from the process.
The delegate elections, which began on Aug. 13, were marred by physical altercations, different factions within the party exchanging insults, procedural violations and alleged pressure from party headquarters. Due to the ongoing legal proceedings, voter turnout was reportedly as low as 25%, drawing further criticism. The exclusion of opposition factions has intensified internal backlash.
Party leadership initially planned to hold its regular convention in December, following the completion of provincial congresses on Nov. 5. However, the recent dismissal of the Istanbul provincial administration by a court over irregularities in the 2023 intraparty election and rumors that the court may issue a ruling of absolute nullification have sparked panic within the party’s top ranks.
Sources say internal discussions have begun about accelerating the congress schedule, with the 39th Regular Convention potentially being moved up to early November instead of December. The date of Nov. 8 is reportedly under serious consideration. The final decision will be made by the Party Assembly and announced to the public in the coming weeks.
FETÖ infiltration
For Gürsel Tekin, the current state of the CHP is the result of the infiltration of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) into the party. Tekin, who was appointed as the party’s Istanbul chair recently by court order, is a former vice chair of the party and drew the ire of the Özel administration, which immediately moved to expel him from the party.
Fugitive members of FETÖ, which attempted to seize power in the country through its military infiltrators on July 15, 2016, openly called for support for the CHP during the past election.
Tekin told the Sabah newspaper on Tuesday that FETÖ’s sleeper cells had infiltrated the CHP and were using the party in their own fight against the government. “They will then turn into their usual tactics and will attempt to destroy the party,” Tekin said.
He complained of “attacks” by people he did not know after his appointment. Pro-CHP social media accounts have launched a defamation campaign against Tekin, accusing him of being a puppet of the government.
“Those who sought to keep us away from the party apparently found new comrades,” Tekin said, without giving any names.
Tekin initially sought to mend ties with Özgür Özel after his appointment, though the latter issued a strong rebuke. The former vice chair later retracted his outreach after Özel had him booed at a CHP rally.
Pointing out the CHP’s long history, Tekin said the party should not be left to “a few people’s ambitions.”
“The CHP should certainly weed out the rotten apples and should stand against anyone involved in corruption,” he said. Though he did not give names, Tekin apparently implied Istanbul’s former mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, who was arrested in March on corruption charges. Imamoğlu was declared the future presidential candidate of the party after his arrest and has been an influential figure in the CHP since he was elected mayor in 2019. He had secretly campaigned for Özel against Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu before the 2023 intraparty election and later openly sided with Özel. Tekin said the CHP did not face any corruption trial during the tenure of Kılıçdaroğlu, “because we had an honest administration.”
“Now, all of the CHP is focused on is trials. Let’s leave those trials to the judiciary and (wait for verdicts). I can’t brand anyone as guilty or innocent, and we have to respect the rulings. For instance, I have been appointed here by a court order, and the CHP should respect this. The rulings may not please everyone, but they should be respected,” Tekin said.
