İbrahim Kaboğlu, a former lawmaker from the main opposition the Republican People’s Party (CHP), incurred outrage from both prominent names of his former party and supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
Kaboğlu, who was elected as the new head of the Istanbul Bar Association on Sunday, formed his governing board of the association from lawyers linked to the terrorist group PKK, inciting anger on social media. A group of supporters celebrated the election of Kaboğlu and lawyers who represented PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan by chanting slogans of the terrorist group outside the association’s building on Sunday.
Meanwhile, his first remarks after the election angered two mayors regarded as future successors of the CHP chair and/or presidential candidates in the 2028 elections. Kaboğlu echoed the views of PKK-linked circles when he said, “Unchangeable articles of the constitution can be changed.” He was referring to the first four articles of the coup-era constitution, which the AK Party plans to replace with civilian ones. The said articles refer to the religion, identity and regime of Türkiye. Government officials repeatedly underlined that there were no plans to change those articles when a new debate began last month. Mansur Yavaş, mayor of the capital Ankara, was the first name from CHP to slam Kaboğlu. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu joined Yavaş and criticized Kaboğlu on Monday. “The first four articles should not be up for debate. I think Mr. Kaboğlu made a very unfortunate statement. It may be his personal view, but he now represents the bar association,” he said.
