The first hearing of a lawsuit to annul the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) 2023 ordinary congress, which could result in the appointment of a government trustee, is set to begin in Ankara on Thursday, Turkish media reported.
The lawsuit, filed by a former CHP mayor and other delegates, seeks to cancel the party’s 38th Ordinary Congress held on Nov. 4-5, 2023, in which Chairperson Özgür Özel allegedly “bought” supporters to oust his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, in an intraparty election held at the congress.
The CHP in its response to the court dismissed the allegations that delegates were made to vote in exchange for money as “slander based on hearsay.”
It also objected to the court that the annulment of a decision taken at the congress could be requested within a maximum of three months from the date of the decision.
The CHP administration does not expect a decision from the first hearing.
The investigation by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara over the bribery claims is also underway. It is based on the legal complaints of CHP delegates who told investigators that they were offered bribes ranging from cash and houses to prominent jobs in municipalities the party runs.
Prosecutors took the testimonies of some 86 people, including CHP’s former Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, who is under arrest and suspended from duty. Imamoğlu is also accused of orchestrating the scheme to sway at least 150 delegates against Kılıçdaroğlu.
Meanwhile, the Center for Combatting Disinformation of the Directorate of Communications has refuted claims in the media that the CHP congress was “annulled and a trustee has been appointed to the party.”
“Claims about a trial that has yet to have a hearing are baseless,” the center said in a statement. “Rulings made in independent courts on behalf of the Turkish nation are disclosed directly to the interlocutors in hearings.”
It urged the public “not to heed baseless claims thrown around to create certain perceptions about judicial processes.”
The CHP recently convened an extraordinary congress to avert a possible trustee appointment, which reinforced Özel’s position as party leader.
If the court rules to annul the congress that elected Özel as CHP chair, a trustee would be assigned to administer Türkiye’s oldest political party, who would then call for an extraordinary congress within 45 days.