Tag: chp

The CHP’s elected leadership has asked Ankara Civil Court of Peace to appoint a three-member convening committee that would take the party to an extraordinary congress.

The leadership of Özgür Özel, the elected chair of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), filed a petition with the Ankara Civil Court of Peace on Tuesday (14 July), seeking to convene an extraordinary party congress. In its application, the Özel leadership requested that a three-member convening committee be appointed to call the congress.

According to an information note released after the filing, the process dates back to June. A total of 833 congress delegates submitted a joint, notarised petition for an extraordinary congress, citing the need to “restore democratic legitimacy within the party and convene the congress, the party’s highest decision-making body.” The figure represents more than two-thirds of the congress’s full membership.

The signatures were gathered within the 15-day period stipulated by the CHP’s charter and delivered to the party headquarters on 17 June 2026. As no congress has been called since, the Özel camp argues that the delegates’ collective will has been left without effect.

“Not a matter for the leadership’s discretion”

The case rests on Article 75 of the Civil Code, which allows a civil court judge to authorise three members to convene a general assembly if the executive body fails to do so, upon application by any member. The petition asks that three congress delegates, whose names are to be disclosed at a later stage, be tasked with calling the extraordinary congress.

The information note also cited rulings by the Constitutional Court and the Court of Cassation, arguing that once a sufficient number of delegates demand a congress, the matter is not left to the leadership’s discretion and that this demand is legally binding on the party’s executive. The stated purpose of the case is to enable the 833 delegates to exercise the rights granted to them under the law and the party charter, to uphold democratic functioning within the party, and to secure the convening of the congress.

Emre: “Committee’s sole task will be to convene the congress“

CHP spokesperson Zeynel Emre outlined the limits of the committee’s powers in remarks on Monday (13 July). According to Emre, the three-member convening committee will be tasked solely with calling the congress and will not be able to authorise any spending or carry out any administrative action beyond salary payments.

TÜM-BEL-SEN report reveals that since the 2024 local elections, the administration of 85 municipalities has been changed through trustee appointments, dismissals, and political interventions.

The Union of Municipal and Local Government Workers in Turkey (TÜM-BEL SEN) released a report on the second anniversary of the March 31, 2024 local elections. The report focuses on political pressure against municipalities run by opposition parties.

According to the report, since the 2024 elections, government interventions in local administrations have become against labor and democracy. It states that local democracy in Turkey has effectively been suspended due to practices; such as appointing government trustees, removing elected officials, judicial actions and financial restrictions.

“Public will has been ignored”

The report highlights that a large portion of votes for opposition parties has been ignored. It tells that 44.4% of the votes for the CHP (Republican People’s Party, main opposition party in Turkey) and 27.7% for the DEM Party (Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party) were effectively taken away.

Report also argues that these practices violate the constitution, especially the basic democratic right to vote and be elected of people. After Hakkari, similar interventions continued in many (most of them are Kurdish-majority) municipalities, including Esenyurt, Batman, Mardin, Halfeti, Dersim, Ovacık, Siirt, Van, Kağızman, and Şişli.

The report states that these trustee appointments have damaged local politics, which is a key space for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. Since the 2024 elections, public will has been ignored not only through trustee appointments but also through suspensions, political pressure to switch parties, and changes in municipal councils.

85 administration has been changed

According to the report, the administration of 85 municipalities has been changed since the elections, making millions of votes ineffective. It says that about 8.8 million votes (20.55% of all votes) have been disregarded.

The report also recalls that the election certificate of Van Metropolitan Municipality’s elected mayor, Abdullah Zeydan, was first mayor to be unlawfully attempted to be taken away. In total, elected mayors or co-mayors in 30 municipalities -including major cities like Istanbul, Van, Mardin, Adana, and Antalya- were removed from office. In 55 municipalities, political control changed through different methods, such as altering municipal council arithmetics.

The report notes that municipalities in Turkey depend heavily on the central government for funding. Due to limited resources, cities -where 94% of the population lives- receive only 12% of total public spending.

Finally, it states that since the elections, 1,342 public workers have been dismissed due to canceled contracts and around 3,200 workers have directly lost income.

Özel’s leadership petitions court to convene extraordinary congress

“Not a matter for the leadership’s discretion”

Emre: “Committee’s sole task will be to convene the congress“

Public will has been usurped over the past two years

“Public will has been ignored”

85 administration has been changed