Court Annuls CHP's 2023 Leadership Congress Over Vote-Buying Findings, Reinstates Kılıçdaroğlu

An Ankara appeals court on Thursday annulled the Republican People's Party (CHP) 38th Ordinary Congress of November 2023, ruling that the leadership election that brought Özgür Özel to power was tainted by vote-buying and material inducements offered to delegates. The court provisionally reinstated former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his pre-2023 executive team.

The 36th Civil Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice issued the ruling under the doctrine of mutlak butlan — absolute nullity — a legal finding that voids an outcome from its inception rather than from the date of the judgment. The decision overturns an October 24, 2025 lower court ruling that had dismissed the consolidated lawsuits.

A Party Dispute, Decided in Court

The case originated not with the government or outside actors, but with CHP delegates and senior party figures themselves. The first lawsuit was filed on February 14, 2025 by CHP delegate Hatip Karaaslan. The following day, former Hatay Metropolitan Mayor Lütfü Savaş — a long-standing CHP figure — filed his own petition. Additional filings followed from Levent Çelik (February 18), Yılmaz Özkanat (March 3), and Kamile Bahar Önal (March 27). The cases were later consolidated at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance.

The plaintiffs argued that the November 2023 congress, at which Özel defeated Kılıçdaroğlu after roughly 13 years of the latter's leadership, was procedurally compromised and that delegate votes had been secured through improper means.

What the Court Found

According to the appeals court's reasoned decision, evidence presented during proceedings indicated that certain delegates received material benefits in exchange for votes favoring specific candidates. The court cited:

• Cash payments
• Consumer electronics, including iPhones and iPads
• Housing and vehicle assistance
• Promises of employment in CHP-run municipalities
• Supermarket gift cards

The court concluded that these inducements had compromised the free will of delegates to a degree sufficient to render the congress outcome null from the outset. The findings drew on witness testimony, statements from the complainants — primarily Savaş and other plaintiffs — and material connected to parallel criminal investigations in which prosecutors have filed an indictment against 12 individuals, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, on charges related to alleged vote manipulation.

It should be noted that the evidentiary record made public to date rests principally on testimonial and circumstantial elements. No independent forensic documentation — such as verified bank transfers or recordings of transactions tied specifically to the national congress vote — has been disclosed in public reporting. The appeals court nonetheless deemed the assembled evidence sufficient to establish outcome-influencing irregularities.

Timeline

• November 4–5, 2023 — The CHP holds its 38th Ordinary Congress in Ankara. Delegates elect Özgür Özel as chairman, defeating Kılıçdaroğlu, who publicly accepts the result, congratulates Özel, and steps down after some 13–14 years at the helm.
• February 14, 2025 — Delegate Hatip Karaaslan files the first annulment lawsuit in Ankara civil court.
• February 15, 2025 — Former Hatay Metropolitan Mayor Lütfü Savaş files a parallel lawsuit.
• February–March 2025 — Additional plaintiffs join: Levent Çelik (Feb 18), Yılmaz Özkanat (Mar 3), Kamile Bahar Önal (Mar 27). Cases are consolidated at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance.
• 2025 (ongoing) — Prosecutors file an indictment against 12 individuals, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, in a parallel criminal case examining alleged vote manipulation.
• September 2025 — Former CHP leader and former TBMM Speaker Hikmet Çetin publicly anticipates a mutlak butlan ruling, signaling expectations from within the party's old guard.
• October 24, 2025 — The Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance dismisses the consolidated annulment case.
• May 21, 2026 — The 36th Civil Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice overturns the lower court ruling, declares the 2023 congress and subsequent congresses invalid, suspends the current leadership under Özel, and reinstates Kılıçdaroğlu's pre-2023 team on a provisional basis pending finalization of the ruling.

Reactions Within the Party

Kılıçdaroğlu welcomed the ruling. In a post on X, he framed the decision as an opportunity for unity rather than division, writing that the CHP is "the sovereignty deed of our nation" and "not a battleground for personal ambition." Speaking briefly to TGRT Haber, he said, "May it be auspicious for Turkey and the CHP."

Plaintiff Lütfü Savaş and the other complainants — all CHP members — have characterized the ruling as a vindication of their claims that the 2023 congress process was corrupted by material inducements.

The Özel leadership has rejected the ruling outright, describing it as a judicial overreach and announcing plans for appeals and public protests. Özel and his team maintain that the congress reflected the legitimate will of the delegates.

The intra-party divide reflects a longer-running tension that predates the lawsuits: critics of the 2023 leadership change have argued that the transition was engineered through improper means, while Özel's supporters point to the party's electoral performance under his chairmanship — including the March 2024 local elections, in which the CHP became the leading party in Türkiye by vote share for the first time in decades — as evidence of a legitimate mandate.

What Happens Next

Under the ruling, the CHP leadership structure provisionally reverts to its pre-November 2023 configuration. If Kılıçdaroğlu declines to assume the chairmanship, authorities may appoint a temporary trustee to oversee the party until a new congress can be held. The decision is subject to further appeal, and the Özel camp has indicated it will exhaust all available legal remedies.

Markets reacted sharply. Trading on the BIST 100 was temporarily halted after the benchmark index fell more than six percent on the day of the ruling.

The matter remains fluid, with further legal proceedings — both civil and criminal — expected in the weeks ahead.