Türkiye’s CHP prepares sweeping overhaul after vote-buying allegations

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has returned to the leadership of Türkiye’s oldest party promising to remove its "thieves and bribe-takers through cleansing." In less than three months, he has reshuffled the Republican People’s Party’s top ranks, and he is now turning to the delegate system that has troubled the CHP for years.

Some delegates have acknowledged receiving payments from associates of Kılıçdaroğlu’s rival, Özgür Özel, during the 2023 party election that Kılıçdaroğlu narrowly lost. Allegations that Özel and former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu bought the votes of hundreds of delegates reached the courts. A recent regional appeals court ruling effectively confirmed the allegations through an absolute-nullity decision, the article says.

The party is also pursuing a broader purge. Lawmakers and mayors suspected of corruption have been referred to disciplinary boards or forced to resign before joining the New Party, founded by Özel in July. The new party has reduced the CHP’s presence in Parliament, while allegations involving CHP-run municipalities continue to surround it.

Attention is now focused on Sept. 9, which is also regarded as the CHP’s founding anniversary. Kılıçdaroğlu is expected to make important statements and may announce the long-awaited congress schedule. Provincial and district elections would follow, with delegates selected from scratch, effectively replacing the controversial structure blamed for the party’s problems.

The grand congress is expected to proceed quickly after the Court of Cassation rules on the vote-buying case. The party aims to complete local congresses before that ruling, which will determine whether Kılıçdaroğlu’s return to the chairmanship stands or is annulled. İmamoğlu, who was arrested last year over alleged municipal corruption, had been a central CHP figure and was recorded discussing support for Özel before the disputed election.

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thieves and bribe-takers through cleansing