Ankara's 36th Civil Chamber of the Regional Court of Appeal on Tuesday annulled the CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress and 21st Extraordinary Congress, ruling that both were subject to mutlak butlan. The court also said the 8 October 2023 CHP Istanbul Provincial Congress violated mandatory legal provisions and was therefore invalid.
The panel accepted the appeals filed by Hatip Karaaslan, Levent Çelik, Kamile Bahar Önal and Yılmaz Özkanat, and overturned a 24 October 2025 ruling by the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance. That local court had said the case had become moot because the party later held extraordinary congresses, but the appeals court did not accept that view as lawful.
The decision goes to the heart of CHP's leadership changes after the 4-5 November 2023 congress, where Özgür Özel defeated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu in the party race. By ruling that the 38th Ordinary Electoral Congress was annulled from the day it was held, the court also voided all ordinary and extraordinary congresses held after that date, along with the decisions taken at them.
The panel ordered a return to the situation before the 4-5 November 2023 congress. It said Kılıçdaroğlu and the party organs that existed before that vote should continue in office as before, while Özel, the Central Executive Board, the Party Assembly and the High Disciplinary Board were to be temporarily removed from office. Until the decision becomes final, Kılıçdaroğlu and the previous Party Assembly and High Disciplinary Board members are to assume office temporarily.
The ruling was sent to the Supreme Election Council, the Ankara Provincial Election Board, the Çankaya 4th District Election Board and the Ankara Governorship for implementation. CHP Ankara Provincial Chairmanship then called party members to gather at party headquarters, saying: “Omuz omuza, tek yürek; demokrasiye, dayanışmaya ve halkın iradesine sahip çıkmak için herkesi Genel Merkezimize davet ediyoruz.”
The case has now shifted from a legal fight over internal party procedure into a direct challenge to CHP's current leadership structure. What happens next will turn on how the election bodies and party officials respond to a ruling that attempts to rewind the party to the moment before Özel's rise.
