site.btaUPDATED Ankara Court Confirms Legitimacy of Turkiye’s Biggest Opposition Party Leadership
A court in Ankara on Friday rejected a motion to annul the 38th congress of Turkiye’s largest opposition force, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), a ruling that effectively confirms the legitimacy of the party’s current leadership.
The motion was filed by several members of the opposition party, including former Hatay district mayor Lutfu Savas, and was based on alleged irregularities in the election process and suspicions of bribes allegedly offered by the current leader, Ozgur Ozel, in exchange for support in the race for the chairmanship.
The court decision effectively means that the current CHP leadership, headed by chairman Ozel, remains in office.
At the congress held on November 4–5, 2023, Ozgur Ozel was elected chairman of the CHP, defeating the party’s former leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
If the 38th regular CHP congress had been declared invalid, it would have meant that CHP leader Ozgur Ozel was not legitimately elected.
Commenting for BTA, the main defender of the Republican People's Party, Caglar Caglayan, said that the court's decision was entirely expected. "We did not expect any other decision at this point. Even from the very beginning, we did not expect that the grounds for initiating proceedings would be accepted. But at this point, we do not consider the decision to dismiss the case as unfounded to be wrong," Caglayan said. Speaking to the media, the lawyer expressed hope that political life in Turkiye would return to normal after the end of the legal saga.
The trial was accompanied by a heavy police and media presence.
/DS/
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