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Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) will convene an extraordinary congress on Sept. 21, a senior party official announced Saturday, days after a court annulled the party’s 2023 Istanbul congress and dismissed its provincial leadership.
CHP Deputy Chair Gul Ciftci confirmed the congress in a statement on X.
“Despite the siege against our party, we will hold our extraordinary congress on Sept. 21, 2025, with the signatures of our delegates,” Ciftci wrote.
“Throughout its 102-year history, the Republican People’s Party has defended the will of the people against all forms of pressure, obstruction, and intervention; never compromising on democracy, the rule of law, or freedoms.”
She said the gathering would “determine the future of our party” and reaffirm “pluralism, diversity of voices, and democratic politics in Türkiye.”
On Tuesday, a Turkish court annulled CHP’s 38th Istanbul Provincial Congress, held in October 2023, removing provincial chair Ozgur Celik and 195 others from office. The ruling appointed a five-member interim committee to take over. The decision triggered a 5.5% plunge in Türkiye’s stock market.
CHP filed an appeal Wednesday. A similar lawsuit is pending against its national leadership and is scheduled to resume in Ankara on Sept. 15.
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“They think they will silence the CHP and name an opposition that suits them, but we won’t bow,” party chairman Ozgur Ozel said. “It’s not only the opposition that is threatened but the multi-party system: this is a regime that usurps democracy.”
Last week, Istanbul prosecutors filed an indictment against Celik and nine other CHP members over alleged vote rigging at the 2023 congress. If convicted, they could face up to three years in prison.
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