Turkey’s political scene was jolted yet again on Sunday, September 21, 2025, as the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the country’s main opposition force, overwhelmingly re-elected its embattled leader Ozgur Ozel at a high-stakes extraordinary congress in Ankara. The move, described by party officials as a technical and legal maneuver, comes amid a barrage of lawsuits and what critics allege is a government-led campaign to cripple the opposition through judicial means rather than the ballot box.
Ozel’s re-election, with all 835 valid votes cast in his favor and 82 invalidated, was anything but routine. The party’s 22nd extraordinary congress was convened as the CHP found itself fighting a potentially damaging lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of its November 2023 congress—an event that first brought Ozel to the helm. Prosecutors have accused the party of electoral fraud, including allegations of vote buying and procedural irregularities. The CHP has categorically denied these charges, arguing that they are politically motivated attempts by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government to undermine the opposition’s gains through the courts.
“The party is under attack, and they are trying every possible method,” Ozel declared after the vote, according to Turkish media reports. “Our legal experts and administrators are taking the most appropriate measures against this. With the holding of this congress, all their (legal) arguments are eliminated.”
According to the Associated Press, Ozel went so far as to urge delegates to cast a vote of no-confidence at the start of Sunday’s congress, thereby triggering the leadership election that he handily won. Party officials said this maneuver was designed to counter the possibility that courts might oust the current leadership and install a government-approved trustee in Ozel’s place. The re-election is expected to invalidate the legal grounds for the ongoing lawsuit, which had its second hearing just a week prior and is now set for another court date in October.
The stakes for the CHP could hardly be higher. Under Ozel’s stewardship, the party has staged a remarkable comeback. In the March 2024 local elections, the CHP scored a decisive victory over Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), a result that stunned many observers and marked the party’s biggest win in decades. But the aftermath of that triumph has been turbulent. Municipalities under CHP control have faced a wave of arrests and legal cases, with critics contending that these moves are aimed at rolling back the opposition’s gains by force of law rather than popular will.
Among the most high-profile targets is Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul’s charismatic mayor and a likely contender in the 2028 presidential race. Imamoglu’s arrest in March 2025 on corruption charges he vehemently denies sent shockwaves through Turkey’s political landscape. The jailing of the popular mayor triggered massive protests—some of the largest and most passionate demonstrations since the 2013 Gezi Park unrest. Ozel himself led crowds of angry supporters in Istanbul, underscoring the depth of opposition outrage and the party’s determination to resist what it sees as an assault on democracy.
“Imamoglu is widely seen as a potential challenger to Erdogan,” reported the Associated Press, “and his March arrest triggered widespread protests.” The legal pressure on the CHP has not been limited to its national leadership. Earlier this month, on September 2, a court annulled the results of the October 2023 provincial congress that had elected Ozgur Celik as leader of the party’s powerful Istanbul branch, along with 195 other officials. The court then appointed an interim chairman to oversee the local branch. The move was met with fierce resistance. Police, according to AP, escorted the court-appointed official to the party’s Istanbul headquarters, using pepper spray to disperse party members and supporters who refused to cede control.
Berk Esen, a political analyst, told Turkish media that the ouster of Celik was a “rehearsal” for the larger case against the CHP’s national leadership, an effort “effectively seeking to hobble it as an opposition force.” The Istanbul branch is now set to hold its own extraordinary congress on Wednesday, September 24, to re-elect its leadership—a further sign that the battle for control of the opposition is far from over.
For its part, Erdogan’s government insists that Turkey’s courts are impartial and free from political interference. Officials have maintained that investigations into the CHP are focused solely on rooting out corruption and ensuring the integrity of democratic processes. Yet, the timing and intensity of the legal actions—coming so soon after the CHP’s electoral resurgence—have fueled suspicions among opposition supporters and international observers alike.
“Prosecutors have accused CHP of electoral fraud, including buying votes and procedural violations, at its 2023 congress,” noted the Associated Press. The court was initially expected to issue a verdict on September 15, but the decision was delayed until October, keeping the party’s fate in limbo for now. The uncertainty has only added to the sense of siege felt by many in the opposition camp.
Despite the mounting pressure, Ozel and his allies remain defiant. The re-election at Sunday’s congress, described by Ozel as “an entirely technical and legal manoeuvre,” was aimed at shoring up the party’s leadership and demonstrating unity in the face of adversity. The CHP also used the occasion to strategize for the future, seeking ways to navigate the mounting obstacles and continue its fight for political space in an increasingly polarized environment.
Supporters argue that the wave of legal challenges and arrests is part of a broader pattern of judicial pressure that has characterized Turkish politics in recent years. Since the failed coup attempt in 2016, Erdogan’s government has been accused by critics of using the courts to silence dissent and marginalize opponents. The CHP’s recent experiences, they say, fit squarely within this trend.
As the legal battles grind on, the fate of Turkey’s main opposition party hangs in the balance. The next court hearing on the lawsuit seeking to overturn Ozel’s leadership is scheduled for October 24, 2025. Until then, the CHP will continue to walk a political tightrope—caught between renewed internal unity and the ever-present threat of judicial intervention.
In the words of one party official, echoed in the Turkish press: “With the holding of this congress, all their (legal) arguments are eliminated.” Whether that bold claim will hold up in court—or in the court of public opinion—remains to be seen. For now, the CHP’s leadership stands, but the struggle for Turkey’s democratic future is far from settled.