CHP vs Goliath

TURKEY - In Brief 04 Sep 2025 by Atilla Yesilada

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Turkey’s Judicial year started with little fanfare, but a sucker attack on CHP’s Istanbul flank. The 45th District Court passed interim ruling. Suspending fraud in the Party’s passed delegates selection for the Grant Convention. It sacked Istanbul Chairman and the 196 delegates elected by the straw poll. The bench appointed former party general secretary Gürsel Tekin as Chief Trustee and a team of four CHP members to govern the provincial organization until its final ruling. Finally it forbid CHP to elect new delegates for the upcoming General Convention. In protest CHP chair Özgür Özel declared the Court Ruling unlawful as the Party immediately began the process to eject Gürsel Tekin. Özel further threatened to initiate ‘occupy CHP Buildings’ more rallies and other types of protests unspecified. In the month of September there will be 8 separate trials of CHP , Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Özgür Özel and numerous CHP members. The most important hearing will be held on 15th of September when an Ankara Court deliberate whether the CHP Grand Convention which witnessed Özgür Özel defeated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Until interim ruling by Istanbul Court a majority of experts predicted that the Ankara Court will defer its ruling. However the Istanbul Court interim ruling presents a very strong precedent for the Ankara Case. That is the door is open for Ankara Court to appoint Trustees to run the Party or reinstitute Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s once again as Party Chairman. If you have been following this far, here comes the money shot: Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s in his conversations stated the Party should stop running after Ekrem İmamoğlu and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş is not the second choice more ...