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A majority of respondents in a recent survey by Turkish polling company Metropoll Research said they would oppose a court decision annulling the 2023 congress of Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and reinstating former chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu as party leader.
The survey, conducted between May 9 and May 16 among 1,213 participants, regained public attention after a May 21 court ruling overturned the CHP’s 2023 congress, suspended the administration led by Ozgur Ozel, and temporarily reinstated Kilicdaroglu as party chairman.
Participants were asked whether they would approve of a court verdict annulling the CHP congress on the grounds of “absolute nullity” and restoring Kilicdaroglu to the leadership.
According to the poll, 62.1% of respondents said they would not consider such a move appropriate, while 27% said they would support it. Another 10.9% said they had no opinion or declined to answer.
Among respondents who voted for the CHP in Türkiye’s 2023 parliamentary elections, 74.5% opposed such judicial intervention, compared with 20.4% who supported it and 5% who expressed no opinion.
The poll also found that 54.4% of respondents who identified as supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) opposed what was then a hypothetical scenario, while 34.7% said they would approve of it.
The survey results resurfaced as the CHP continues to grapple with a leadership dispute triggered by the court’s decision to invalidate the party’s 2023 congress over alleged procedural irregularities and order a new leadership vote.
The ruling temporarily reinstated the party’s pre-congress administration under Kilicdaroglu to oversee preparations for a fresh congress, while CHP officials have denied allegations that the original leadership contest was tainted by misconduct.
The 2023 congress saw Ozgur Ozel defeat longtime party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, ending the latter’s more than a decade-long tenure at the helm of Türkiye’s main opposition party.
Lawsuits challenging the congress alleged vote-buying and procedural violations, claims the CHP has consistently rejected.
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