Turkey’s CHP reelects leader amid crackdown fears

ISTANBUL — Ozgur Ozel was reelected Sunday to lead Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), at a special congress that the party said was designed to counter government efforts to oust its leadership and install a court-appointed trustee. Ozel won all 835 votes cast, according to CHP officials, who said the maneuver was meant to deter courts from removing the current leadership and substituting it with an administrator approved by the state.

During the congress, Ozel urged delegates to cast a vote of no confidence at the outset to trigger a leadership election, a calculation officials framed as a safeguard against a judicial move that could remove the party’s elected leadership. The outcome reinforced the CHP’s stance that its leadership remains legitimate and that the party’s democratic processes should be preserved amid a broader campaign against the CHP in local and national politics.

Prosecutors have accused the CHP of electoral fraud, including allegations of vote buying and procedural violations at the party’s 2023 congress. The CHP has denied the charges, characterizing them as politically motivated and part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government’s efforts to undermine the opposition through judicial pressure rather than through electoral competition. Government officials have maintained that the courts are impartial and that investigations into the party focus on alleged wrongdoing rather than on political considerations.

A criminal case against the CHP carried a verdict that had been expected on Sept. 15 but was postponed to October, extending a period of legal scrutiny that has shadowed the party’s activities at multiple levels. The delay has fed the perception among CHP supporters that legal actions against party leaders and affiliates are being used to constrain the party ahead of elections or other political milestones.

The reelection comes amid a crackdown that critics view as part of a broader effort to curb CHP influence after it made significant gains in last year’s local elections. Municipalities governed by the CHP have experienced waves of arrests and investigations this year, contributing to a sense of vulnerability within the party’s ranks. Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, has been a focal point of the pressure, with prominent CHP figure Ekrem Imamoglu in pre-trial custody on corruption charges that he denies. Imamoglu is widely regarded as a potential challenger to Erdogan, and his arrest earlier this year sparked protests and heightened political tensions across major urban centers.

Earlier this month, a court removed the CHP’s elected provincial leadership in Istanbul and appointed an interim chairman to oversee the local branch. Police escorted the court-appointed official to the party’s Istanbul headquarters, where clashes with party members and supporters erupted as resistance to the appointment surfaced. The episode underscored the friction between the party and the state apparatus and highlighted the charges that the CHP views as attempts to intimidate or destabilize its local operations.

Analysts say the ongoing legal episodes fit into a broader pattern of pressure against the CHP as Erdogan’s government seeks to maintain control over political space and maintain public confidence in the judiciary as a neutral institution. Officials in Ankara have repeatedly asserted that investigations into the CHP are rooted in alleged corruption and not political vendetta, insisting that the rule of law applies to all parties equally. Opponents argue that the actions disproportionately target the CHP while other parties face less scrutiny, a claim the Erdoğan administration rejects as unfounded.

The result at Sunday’s congress sets a clear tone for the CHP as it navigates a volatile political environment in the run-up to future elections. By reaffirming Ozel’s leadership, CHP officials signaled their intent to maintain continuity within the party’s top ranks while continuing to challenge what they describe as an atmosphere of judicial pressure and political interference. The coming weeks and months are likely to see further legal developments that could influence the party’s internal dynamics, its public message, and its electoral strategy as Turkey positions itself for potential political shifts in the near term.