Court cancels CHP Istanbul Provincial Congress: Gürsel Tekin appointed as trustee
MHP Deputy Chairman Feti Yıldız said , “The Mecelle states, ‘There is no room for ijtihad in the Mawrid-i nas.’ In other words, when the ruling is clear, there is no room for ijtihad, reasoning, or interpretation.”
Making a statement in front of the CHP Istanbul Provincial Headquarters, Özgür Çelik announced that they would hold an evaluation meeting regarding the decision and that they would share the decisions made after this meeting:
I always say that the Republican People's Party and everyone, every institution in Türkiye, who does not align themselves with the current minority government is under 360-degree attack. This decision is an attempt to stop the Republican People's Party's march to power. For 300 days, this land has been facing a grave injustice. Investigations and summaries of proceedings are being filed against our Chairman, Mr. Özgür Özel, every day… Our party's presidential candidate, Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu, is currently in prison in Silivri. Our mayors are currently in prison in Silivri and in prisons across the country. Our bureaucrats and colleagues are currently in prison in Silivri and in prisons across the country. They failed to stop the Republican People's Party's march to power with these practices. The people are standing up. Because they have failed to stop the Republican People's Party with the unlawful acts they have committed so far, they are trying to stop the Republican People's Party's march to power with such decisions. We will not allow this. We will continue our struggle with our nation, together with our people, with determination. "His party is the people. This is the people's home. This is the family home. No one can take over the family home, the people's home."
Gürsel Tekin also made a statement on the subject:
I am a student of the CHP, founded on the battlefields. My party has been my red line throughout my life. In such difficult times, preserving the brotherhood and solidarity within the party is our most fundamental duty. When it comes to the CHP, the rest is just a detail.
The Democratic Party (DEM) Party (DEM) reacted to the appointment of trustees to the CHP Istanbul Provincial Administration. The party issued a statement, saying, “As the DEM Party, we stand against attempts to reshape the political landscape through judicial interventions and decisions, just as we did yesterday. These practices, which clearly have no positive impact on the rule of law or democracy, must be stopped immediately. The judiciary must withdraw from the political arena, and the trustee-based mentality must be abandoned.”
The interim decisions and measures regarding the CHP Istanbul Congress are undemocratic and lack legal legitimacy. For any court of law to issue an interim measure or cancel a political party congress after so many years is not only unconstitutional, but also… pic.twitter.com/46lGlSdfQc
— DEM Party (@DEMGeneralMerkezi) September 2, 2025
Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Mayor Mansur Yavaş, regarding the court-ordered preventive suspension of his party's Istanbul Provincial Chairman, Özgür Çelik, and the current administration, said, "Undemocratic interventions in politics have harmed democracy itself the most. The precautionary measure regarding our party's Istanbul Provincial Congress is difficult to reconcile with the principles of democracy and law. Yet, the primary duty of the law is to protect democracy."
Following the decision, the Republican People's Party Central Executive Board held an extraordinary meeting at the CHP Headquarters at 17:00 under the chairmanship of Chairman Özgür Özel.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that a public lawsuit was filed within the scope of allegations of irregularities in the CHP Istanbul Provincial Congress provincial presidential election held in October 2023.
The indictment demanded prison sentences of one to three years for ten politicians, including Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, and Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat.
Çelik, who was summoned to testify on July 8th regarding allegations of electoral fraud for personal gain in the CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairmanship election held in October 2023, had said, “The aim is to discredit the CHP and silence society.”
Çelik said in his statement:
"I was the Bahçelievler District Chair in August 2023 and was a candidate for the Bahçelievler District Congress to be held on August 20. I ran at that congress and won. Later, at the joint request of the district chairs in Istanbul, I ran for Provincial Chair and won the congress with the support of 26 district chairs."
Özgür Çelik won the CHP Istanbul Provincial Congress held on October 8, 2023, with 342 votes. His opponent, Cemal Canpolat, received 310 votes.
Çelik served as the CHP Bahçelievler District Chair until 2023, when he was elected provincial chair.
Medyascope
