 has rejected an appeal to annul an extraordinary congress held by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) earlier this month, during which party leader Özgür Özel was re-elected, the Anka news agency reported.){kind=link}
Turkey’s Supreme Election Board (YSK) has rejected an appeal to annul an extraordinary congress held by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) earlier this month, during which party leader Özgür Özel was re-elected, the Anka news agency reported.
The appeal was filed by academic Kemal Çiftçi, who claimed that the April 6 congress was marred by procedural violations and that his candidacy for party leadership was unlawfully blocked. Çiftçi initially took his complaint to the Çankaya District Election Board, which dismissed it, citing a lack of evidence.
In its decision, the district board said that all candidate lists, including those for party chair, party council and disciplinary committees, had been finalized, stamped and submitted to election officials in line with party rules. It added that Çiftçi’s allegations were not supported by documentation or legal grounds.
Çiftçi then appealed to the Supreme Election Board (YSK), seeking a repeat of the extraordinary congress on the grounds of “gross illegality.”
In his appeal, Çiftçi argued that he and other members faced physical obstruction and were unable to enter the congress venue or collect the necessary signatures to qualify as candidates. He claimed his political rights were violated despite filing his application on time.
However, the YSK upheld the district board’s decision, ruling that there was no legal basis for overturning the outcome.
Özel, who was first elected party leader in November 2023, called the extraordinary congress amid speculation that the government might attempt to take over the party administration through a government-appointed trustee following the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu last month.
İmamoğlu, who became a key opposition figure after his landmark victory in İstanbul’s 2019 mayoral election and his re-election as the mayor of İstanbul last year, is seen as the post powerful rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose increasingly authoritarian rule has faced growing criticism at home and abroad.
The CHP congress took place as Turkey faced its largest wave of anti-government protests in years, sparked by İmamoğlu’s arrest on corruption charges widely viewed as politically motivated.
Özel won re-election unopposed, receiving 1,171 votes out of 1,276.
Erdoğan is accused of attempting to sideline his most powerful political rival ahead of the next presidential election slated for 2028 but could be held earlier by jailing him on flimsy charges.