On Sunday (April 6), Özgür Özel was reelected as chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) at the party’s convention in Ankara.
| Turkey’s CHP reelects Özel as party leader amidst threats of takeover from ruling government |
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Özel received 1171 out of 1276 votes in his reelection as CHP chairman. Two other candidates, Berhan Şimşek and Ümit Uysal, did not compete in the contest due to failing to earn a requisite number of signatures and a late withdrawal, respectively. Former CHP chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had announced days earlier that he would not stand as a candidate for chairman in order not to exacerbate intra-party rifts.
The party convention was held following several turbulent weeks in Turkish domestic politics, which saw mass protests across the country following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19th. Just days after his arrest, İmamoğlu was officially nominated as the CHP’s presidential candidate. Turkey has also seen mass boycotts of government-linked businesses initiated by both the CHP and university students.
| Turkey’s CHP reelects Özel as party leader amidst threats of takeover from ruling government |
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The opposition seeks to avert possible party takeover
The CHP’s Sunday convention was announced in late March amidst mass anti-government protests and fears that Turkey’s ruling government may attempt to appoint a ‘trustee’ to lead the party.
The basis for such a takeover would be allegedly deep-rooted corruption in CHP-run municipalities, such as Istanbul. In such a scenario, Özel would be removed from the party leadership and be replaced by a caretaker of the government’s choosing, essentially ending the CHP’s role as an independent opposition party.
While the legal basis for such a ‘takeover’ and the effectiveness of the party convention in averting such a scenario remain murky, Özel commented on the issue yesterday, saying:
“We were already [before İmamoğlu’s removal] thinking of holding a new party congress and giving a democratic slap [to the ruling party]…According to our assessment, if we had not organized our convention this week, they [the ruling government] would have tried to prevent our nomination of İmamoğlu by appointing a trustee by the end of the day today.”
Özel’s comments indicate that while the party convention itself may not legally prevent a potential government takeover, it serves nonetheless to provide his chairmanship and İmamoğlu’s presidential candidacy with democratic legitimacy designed to deter a government-backed trustee appointment.
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| Turkey’s CHP reelects Özel as party leader amidst threats of takeover from ruling government |
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İmamoğlu sends message from prison
The imprisoned Istanbul mayor was reserved an empty chair at Sunday’s party convention and his face was prominently displayed as the party’s anointed presidential candidate.
İmamoğlu sent a message the following message from Istanbul’s Silivri prison to the party congress:
“CHP party conventions have always been symbols of dignity and determination from the beginning. I have no doubt that our congress will follow the same path today. Our party will continue holding the priority of carrying out its national duty above all others and walk resolutely in line with the principles of our republic. The difficulties they have inflicted upon us are mere details on this path. On this note, I wish success to our Chairman Özgür Özel and to all my fellow congress delegates.”
A message of congratulations to Özel from İmamoğlu’s wife Dilek was also shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
