A court in Ankara will reshape the political career of Özgür Özel. The pharmacist-turned-politician climbed up the career ladder fast in the Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). On Wednesday, he may lose his seat at the country’s oldest party. Özel and his associates in the CHP face accusations of buying votes from delegates in a November 2023 election in the party that brought Özel to power.
Ahead of the hearing at the Court of Appeals, the CHP announced that it would take “to the field” this week, organizing events in 81 provinces. The announcement is actually a continuation of CHP’s campaign for an early election, but a court verdict may shift the discussion in those “field trips.”
Recently, the court of appeals asked judiciary authorities in Istanbul to send files regarding two corruption cases linked to the party, media reports said. One case involves a businessman accused of bribing CHP-run municipalities to get a share in lucrative tenders. Another case involves Ekrem Imamoğlu, former mayor of Istanbul, who was declared the future presidential candidate of CHP after he was arrested last March on charges of widespread corruption at the municipality. This request may seem routine to an untrained eye, but legal experts say it also means that the appeals court is now at a stage of issuing a final verdict in the vote-buying case.
Barring another delay in the case, the court on Wednesday will issue one of three verdicts: absolute nullification, a request for retrial in the case in a lower court or dismissing the case in its entirety. Absolute nullification means the 2023 election is not valid. This will pave the way for a new election, and until then, a trustee will be appointed to helm the party. This was the case in another trial related to vote-buying in the race for the chairmanship of the party’s Istanbul branch. A retrial will further prolong the process and means the CHP may buy more time ahead of the 2028 elections. If the court dismisses the case, it will cement Özel’s reign in the party, where he held another intraparty election last year to frustrate the ongoing court case and won.
The possibility of a verdict of absolute nullification led to mobilization in the party, with Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş openly calling the administration to “do something” a few weeks ago. Özel, meanwhile, continued his rallies across the country, seeking support for early or by-election, and rallied the CHP supporters around mayors detained or arrested on charges of corruption. The party may continue its rallies in case of absolute nullification, while media reports say Özel and several lawmakers may leave CHP and establish a new party.
As for the possible appointment of a trustee, the name of Özel’s predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, came up. Kılıçdaroğlu hinted once that he may take the reins in the party again, though the party would be a pale shade of its former self if the new generation of CHP members leave. Özel kept most of the lawmakers and prominent figures who rose in the ranks during Kılıçdaroğlu’s tenure and this may facilitate Kılıçdaroğlu’s task as trustee. A report published by the Sabah newspaper last month says some 100 CHP lawmakers were already ready to support Kılıçdaroğlu if he were to be appointed as a trustee.
Suspects testifying at the last hearing in the vote-buying case last month rejected allegations that they either were paid by the close circle of Özel to vote for him or were scheming to offer gifts and cash to other delegates to sway their opinion of Özel. But witnesses have contradicted this.
Testifying at the hearing, Veysi Uyanık, a delegate at the 2023 congress, said that Imamoğlu met him and other delegates before the congress, seeking their support for Özel. Uyanık said Özel had an election office in Ankara and his supporters were “handing out cash” to delegates. “I asked how much they pay, Özgür Karabat (one of the defendants in the case) told me that they would pay TL 100,000 ($2,250). Karabat’s chauffeur then gave me a ride to my hotel. They pulled a cache of free food coupons from the trunk and gave them to me. I later found out they were worth TL 1.5 million,” he said. Uyanık said he handed TL 20,000 to other delegates staying with him at the hotel after taking TL 100,000 from Karabat.
Mehmet Sevigen, a former lawmaker who testified at the hearing, said he heard reports of vote-buying at the congress and repeatedly warned the CHP administration to respond to the allegations. “But they did not answer,” he told the court.
