Newsletters
All 81 elected provincial chairs of Türkiye's main opposition party CHP issued a joint declaration Thursday backing party leader Ozgur Ozel and rejecting a court ruling that annulled the 2023 congress that brought him to power.
The declaration was shared on social media by CHP Istanbul chair Ozgur Celik. CHP parliamentary group deputy chair Ali Mahir Basarir told a television channel: "We do not recognize this ruling. What is necessary will be done."
The joint statement said Ozel had been elected party leader four times by congress delegates and had stood as the party's presidential candidate, receiving 15.5 million votes. The chairs said the party's legitimacy derives from the will of voters and the organization of its 81 provincial branches.
The statement said the CHP had become Türkiye's leading party for the first time in 47 years, a standing it said was reflected in current public opinion surveys, and described a change of government as "a matter of scheduling."
The chairs said no authority not granted by the party's own organization, its delegates, or the electorate could be exercised by courts or by the ruling AK Party.
The statement said CHP provincial organizations would not accept the outcome and pledged to defend the party's statutes, the results of internal elections, and Ozel's leadership. "Today we are stronger, and we will emerge from these attacks even stronger," it said.
The CHP says the legal actions against it are politically motivated. The ruling Justice and Development Party and the government have said the judiciary operates independently.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
