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A court case, which can force a leadership change in Türkiye's main opposition party, may alter Türkiye's political landscape significantly.
The fourth hearing of the case regarding allegations of irregularities at the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) 38th Ordinary Congress will be held on Wednesday.
The lawsuit seeks the annulment of the CHP’s 38th congress held in November 2023, where Ozgur Ozel defeated 14-year party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu amid allegations of vote-buying and procedural violations.
The leadership challenge emerged after Kilicdaroglu’s defeat to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the 2023 elections, with Ozel backed by then-Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Following the congress, several party members filed lawsuits alleging fraud at the convention, and the cases were merged into a single case in February 2025.
The case involves 12 defendants, including former Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu. The trial, which had previously been postponed to April 1, will continue at the Ankara 26th Criminal Court of First Instance.
The defendants are being tried over allegations of irregularities at the CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress.
Meanwhile, political debate in Ankara intensified after CHP Deputy Group Chairman Gokhan Gunaydin said new developments were expected in the case.
Gunaydin said during a live broadcast that they expected a different development in the process following the change at the Ministry of Justice, referring to the newly appointed minister Akin Gurlek.
“Yes, we expect a change, but our Plan B is ready,” he said.
However, there was no immediate information or explanation regarding what Plan B entails or what the expected changes would be.
Meanwhile, late Monday, CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel unfollowed Kemal Kilicdaroglu and Canan Kaftancioglu on social media, which quickly became a major topic in political circles.
Hours after Ozel’s move, the CHP Headquarters Communication Coordination Office issued a statement claiming the unfollowing was accidental.
According to the statement, Kilicdaroglu and Kaftancioglu were accidentally removed during a reorganization of the "following" list.
“While Ozgur Ozel’s follow list was being reorganized, around 200 accounts were unfollowed. Due to a technical error, Kilicdaroglu, Kaftancioglu and many accounts were unintentionally unfollowed and then followed again,” the statement said.
At the previous hearing, the court followed the prosecutor’s recommendation to seek consent from the Istanbul court to merge the two files, specifically the "Imamoglu criminal organization for profit" case.
However, the Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court did not approve the request to merge the case regarding the alleged irregularities at the CHP 38th Ordinary Congress with the “Imamoglu criminal organization for profit” case.
Twelve defendants are standing trial in the Ankara 26th Criminal Court of First Instance, including Ekrem Imamoglu, Ozgur Celik, and Izmir Metropolitan Mayor Cemil Tugay.
At the Jan. 13 hearing, Ekrem Imamoglu—attending via SEGBIS—maintained that the CHP congress was conducted transparently.
Imamoglu stated that Kemal Kilicdaroglu—the former CHP chairman listed as a victim in the case—was the person who offered him the position of council chair.
The request of former Hatay Metropolitan Mayor Lutfu Savas, who filed a lawsuit seeking the cancellation of the CHP congress, to join the case was also accepted in the last hearing.
The 12 individuals, including Imamoglu, are accused of making delegates vote in exchange for benefits.
In the indictment, Kilicdaroglu is listed as a victim, Imamoglu as defendant, and former Hatay Metropolitan Mayor Lutfu Savas as complainant.
The history of the case dates back to the 38th Ordinary Congress held on Nov. 4-5, 2023, and the 21st Extraordinary Congress held on April 6, 2025.
Savas and some delegates claimed irregularities occurred in the 38th Ordinary Congress and alleged that delegates’ votes were bought with bribes, leading to lawsuits being filed in different courts.
These cases were later merged at the 42nd Civil Court of First Instance.
The plaintiffs claim bribery and fraud were involved in the voting and that the will of the delegates was compromised.
The plaintiffs seek a declaration of absolute nullity regarding the congress, further contending that Kilicdaroglu must be reinstated.
If an absolute nullity decision is issued, CHP administrators believe Kilicdaroglu would still not be able to assume the CHP chairmanship again.
In the worst-case scenario, the court could issue both an injunction regarding the CHP administration and an absolute nullity decision. The injunction would need to be requested by Kilicdaroglu’s lawyer. If such a decision is made, the CHP administration would be removed and the party would be handed back to the former administration.
CHP administrators believe they would maintain a strong presence in the Party Assembly from that period; however, should they lose control, they plan to trigger an Extraordinary Congress by resigning en masse to deprive the Assembly of a quorum.
Meanwhile, CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel said, “Accepting the position would be a historic mistake. In the Political Parties Law, there is not a trustee but a call committee. It also says elections must be held within 40 days.”
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