The Republican People's Party’s (CHP) incumbent Chair Özgür Özel and his predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu are once again on a collision course as a looming court case threatens to plunge Türkiye’s main opposition into deeper upheaval.
A court in Ankara is set to hear a case on Monday on whether to overturn the November 2023 CHP ordinary congress, where Kılıçdaroğlu narrowly lost his leadership post to Özel.
The case gained momentum after CHP members came forward with allegations of bribery and procedural irregularities. Özel, as well as CHP’s now jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, is accused of buying delegate votes to oust Kılıçdaroğlu, who had recently lost a presidential election.
Özel’s political future is at stake in Monday’s ruling. If the court does annul the congress, Özel would be stripped of his chairpersonship.
The court could then name a trustee to run the party, or reinstate Kılıçdaroğlu. It could also delay a ruling.
Monday’s hearing comes after an Istanbul court last week ordered the removal of the CHP’s Istanbul provincial head over alleged irregularities in a separate congress vote from October 2023. Özel incited riots and CHP supporters clashed with police outside the Istanbul branch after Gürsel Tekin was appointed as trustee.
Legal experts say the Istanbul ruling could heavily influence the upcoming trial.
Lawyer Pınar Hacıbektaşoğlu said that civil courts can cite each other’s rulings, noting that suspicions over 196 delegates at the disputed congress undermine the legitimacy of Özel’s election. “This is a natural consequence of court decisions,” Hacıbektaşoğlu told Turkish broadcaster AHaber.
“The Ankara court may not decide on the merits but could still issue a precautionary injunction, temporarily suspending Özgür Özel and his colleagues,” Hacıbektaşoğlu said. “The conditions for this have now been met.”
According to the Constitution, only the Supreme Election Board (YSK), not any court, has the authority to supervise elections, including party congresses.
Yet, under the Political Parties Law, civil courts retain jurisdiction over disputes involving provincial, district and central bodies of political parties.
“Claiming otherwise would mean overlooking threats and irregularities in delegate elections and undermining democracy itself,” Hacıbektaşoğlu said.
The Istanbul ruling has raised further doubts over the legitimacy of the party leadership. Özel has rejected the court’s decision, expelled Tekin and vowed to sack anyone else who accepts positions through court rulings. Party headquarters, meanwhile, has tried to bypass the legal process by calling an extraordinary congress on Sept. 21 to reelect Özel and announcing a new schedule without waiting for court outcomes.
Özel said anyone appointed by the court to replace him would not be able to cancel this plan, while some party figures claim that if Kılıçdaroğlu is restored, the current leadership may immediately initiate his expulsion, intensifying the power struggle.
Kılıçdaroğlu’s defeat in the bitterly contested 2023 congress came after internal campaigns portrayed him and his team as outdated and unfit to continue, with even street-level pressure on his supporters.
Since then, Kılıçdaroğlu has faced what party insiders describe as a “systematic lynching campaign” aimed at eliminating his influence. Yet, the annulment of the Istanbul congress has reignited speculation that he could stage a return to the leadership through the courts.
Pro-opposition media has claimed Kılıçdaroğlu is currently weighing post-court scenarios with a very close circle. If the court rules for “absolute nullity,” the former CHP leader would wait for about a week to watch for developments before making the trip to the CHP headquarters.
Party officials have reportedly prepared strategies to resist a possible court-ordered reinstatement of Kılıçdaroğlu. Sources say headquarters would refuse to hand over the building, even if police intervention were required.
Kılıçdaroğlu’s team is also reportedly preparing against such obstruction and other protests. He is said to be keen to have a “quiet” transition void of provocations.
