Turkish Opposition Cries 'Judicial Coup' After Court Ousts Istanbul Leadership

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has declared it will resist a "judicial coup" after a court annulled its 2023 Istanbul provincial congress, removed its elected leadership, and appointed government-aligned trustees. The move escalates the political and legal pressure on the party, which controls Turkey's largest city. It sets the stage for a constitutional crisis ahead of a more significant court case that could unseat the party's national leader.

According to a report by Murat Yetkin in the Yetkin Report, the Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance nullified the October 8, 2023, congress on the grounds of "election fraud." The decision, delivered on September 2, dismissed Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik and his entire board. In their place, the court appointed a board of trustees led by Gürsel Tekin, a former CHP secretary-general who had become a vocal critic of the party's current direction. The ruling also effectively invalidates the status of 196 Istanbul delegates, a significant bloc within the party's national congress.

In a fiery response following an emergency party meeting, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel announced on Halk TV that the party would not recognize the court's decision. "We are facing a judicial coup," Özel declared, accusing the government of orchestrating the legal challenges. He also announced the immediate expulsion of Gürsel Tekin from the party for accepting the trustee role. Tekin, who had previously announced his resignation after failing to secure a mayoral nomination in 2024 but never formally submitted it, was found to have paid his party membership dues just one day before the court's decision.

Özel framed the ruling as a politically motivated attack orchestrated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government. He claimed this was the "tenth attempt" through various courts to invalidate CHP congresses, alleging that the government had finally found a compliant judge. "Those who do not have the face to file a closure case against the party founded by Atatürk are trying to eliminate us through these means," he stated. He warned that the decision set a dangerous precedent, where any election in Turkey could be overturned by a low-level court, eroding the foundation of democratic legitimacy.

The government has defended the court's autonomy. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç stated the ruling was a "precautionary injunction" to prevent "irreparable harm" during the ongoing trial and not a final verdict. However, the decision's timing is critical as it weakens the party's Istanbul organization ahead of a pivotal hearing on September 15. On that date, a court in Ankara will hear a case seeking to annul the national congress that elected Özel as party chairman in November 2023. A ruling of "absolute nullity" in that case could see Özel's leadership voided and his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, reinstated, a move that would almost certainly split the opposition party. The CHP has announced a protest rally in Istanbul to challenge the ruling.