Today, the Republican People's Party (CHP) is not just a subject of internal debate, factional fighting or leadership rivalry. With the four separate criminal indictments issued by the Ankara and Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices, the CHP has become a structure with a direct legal and political legitimacy problem.
The allegations in these indictments go far beyond simple corruption cases. Prosecutors claim that the CHP's assembly, congress, delegation and disciplinary mechanisms have been targeted and effectively taken over by criminal organizations with vested interests in a multi-layered manner. This picture shows that not only the CHP's governance but also its will has become questionable.
Four indictments, one common conclusion
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's indictment, publicly known as the “shady congress”, establishes that during the 38th Ordinary Congress, pressure was exerted on delegates, benefits were obtained, provisions of the bylaws were violated and the congress was not held in a democratic environment. What is even more serious is that a significant number of those involved in this process are today in the CHP's highest governing bodies.
The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the CHP Istanbul Provincial Congress and delegate structuring further aggravates the picture. Allegations of distributing cash to delegates, giving grocery cards, promises of employment in the municipality and municipal companies, negotiations for votes in exchange for tenders and systematic threats reveal how internal party democracy has been rendered dysfunctional.
The third indictment concerns the Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization. This file points to a vast network of political financing and influence buying that extends from mayors to deputies, from provincial chairs to congress processes. The alleged manipulation of the congress and provincial presidential elections in a way that is itself subject to criminal investigation is unprecedented in the history of the CHP.
The fourth and most serious indictment is the case known as “Ekrem İmamoğlu Criminal Organization for Profit”. This indictment alleges that municipal revenues were collected through an organizational system and that these resources were used not only for personal enrichment but also for the takeover of the CHP and the control of power within the party. Moreover, the fact that the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation has been notified under Articles 68 and 69 of the Constitution clearly demonstrates the legal threshold the matter has reached.
The question of legitimacy can no longer be denied
When these four indictments are read together, the conclusion is clear:
The CHP's assembly, congress, delegate and disciplinary bodies were shaped under the influence of bribery, threats, pressure, interest relations and criminal organizations, and internal party democracy was systematically disabled.
It is impossible to say that the bodies formed under these conditions represent the free and independent will of the CHP base. There is no longer a political competition, but an organizational domination.
One candidate, one list, one voice
The 22nd and 22nd Extraordinary Congresses and the 39th Ordinary Congress were carried out with allegations of cheating against the law, pressure mechanisms and a centralized disciplinary approach. From provincial and district congresses to the elections for the Party Assembly and the Supreme Disciplinary Board, the imposition of a single candidate and a single list prevented internal party alternatives and liquidated the opposition.
More than a thousand party members who objected to this process, including Berhan Şimşek, Barış Yarkadaş, Gürsel Tekin and others who had served in the CHP and served as MPs, were arbitrarily subjected to disciplinary proceedings and their political rights were de facto suspended. This is an unprecedented break in CHP history.
What does the applauded “full vote” really mean?
In the 39th Ordinary Congress on November 28-30, 2025, Özgür Özel's receiving all of the valid votes was presented as ’strong support“ by some circles. However, the low level of participation in the process starting from the neighborhood delegations, the fact that the provincial and district congresses were the dimmest in the history of the CHP, and the fact of a single-candidate congress were ignored.
In a democratic party, getting all the votes is not a sign of pluralism; it is a sign of authoritarianism. This picture reflects a deepening desire for centralization and domination in the CHP.
Epilogue
Turkey needs the Republican People's Party, which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk called “one of my two great works”. But this need does not mean accepting a structure of questionable legitimacy in the shadow of criminal organizations.
Defending the CHP today is not about defending individuals, cliques or offices. Defending the CHP is defending the law, democracy and Atatürk's legacy. What is happening to the CHP is not only a party issue, but also a matter of national security and law.
And yes:
Saving the CHP is not a choice, it is an obligation.