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A Turkish court on Tuesday annulled the Istanbul 38th Congress of Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), held two years ago, and dismissed Provincial Chair Ozgur Celik, along with the current administration.
The ruling also suspended 196 delegates and ordered the halt of the ongoing congress process.
Türkiye's stock exchange, Borsa Istanbul’s BIST 100 index, slumped by more than 5% after the court decision.
The BIST 100 index, which opened the session at 11,304 on Tuesday, fell to 10,624 as of 4:10 p.m. local time (GMT+3), as fears of political turmoil intensified following the court decision.
Following the decision, the CHP Central Executive Board called an extraordinary meeting for 5 p.m. local time under the chairmanship of party leader Ozgur Ozel.
Celik, in his first statement, said no official notification had yet been received. “We are trying to understand the situation,” he told reporters.
A temporary committee was appointed to run the Istanbul Provincial Directorate, consisting of Gursel Tekin, Zeki Sen, Hasan Babacan, Mujdat Gurbuz and Erkan Narsap.
Tekin, once close to former CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, resigned from the party last year.
CHP’s Istanbul Provincial Congress took place on Oct. 8, 2023, at the Halic Congress Center. Celik, then the Bahcelievler district chair, won with 342 votes against Cemal Canpolat, who received 310.
Celik was backed by Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, while Canpolat was aligned with Kilicdaroglu.
The annulment comes amid broader scrutiny of CHP’s internal elections.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office recently launched an investigation into allegations that delegates were paid to vote at the party’s 38th Ordinary Congress, held Nov. 4–5, 2023, where Ozel was the elected leader.
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