Trustee Appointment Triggers CHP Istanbul Turmoil
- Berrin UYSAL
- Sep 21
- 4 min read
Turkiye’s largest metropolis has been facing one of its darkest political turmoils related to the Republican People’s Party’s claims of misconduct in one of their party congress. The allegations regarding congressional irregularities, court decisions, trustee appointments, police interventions, and impacts on the markets have been occupying the agenda for a while among Istanbulites. Newly appointed trustee Gursel Tekin’s unwavering desire to fulfill his duty despite reactions has sparked huge controversies about the internal party control attempts by the government. The duality shown within the CHP leadership against the trustee appointment has reinforced the belief that former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu could regain his position with the backing of the ruling power. Over the past six months, the detention of numerous critical CHP figures has intensified public outrage over these operations, prompting people to take to the streets.
The spark of the crisis was ignited with the CHP's Istanbul Congress on October 8, 2023. At this congress, Özgür Çelik was appointed as the Istanbul Provincial Chairman after he received the favorable vote from the majority of the delegates, given that he is seen as a young idealist and a modern-day innovator within the party. Immediately after this congress, allegations of fraud and misconduct came to light. The allegations included bribing delegates, offering them jobs, and altering the will of delegates, as noted in the records. The allegations were not confined to the Istanbul Provincial Congress; the party's 38th Ordinary Congress on November 4-5, 2023, faced similar allegations, and the case went to court as well.
In 2025, the Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance exacerbated the crisis by issuing a controversial appointment that has received considerable media attention. The court removed Özgür Çelik and his executives as a precautionary measure, on the basis of irregularities at the 2023 Istanbul Provincial Congress, and suspended the mandates of some 196 delegates. The Court appointed a temporary committee to replace the elected board of directors. The most notable member of this court-ordered committee was Gürsel Tekin, a long-time member of parliament and executive of the party. The elected provincial chairman has been replaced by a court-appointed individual, and speculation began to swirl that "a trustee has been appointed to CHP Istanbul."
According to Reuters, after the trustee decision was made public, the Borsa Istanbul BIST 100 index declined around 4% from 11,300 points to below 11,000. Losses reached almost 5% for specific stocks on this day, and circuit-breakers were triggered. According to Refinitiv’s data, the country’s 5-year credit risk premium was around 264 basis points before the decision and increased to 273 basis points by the end of the day; an increase of nearly 9 points. The CDS increase after the operation pushed Turkiye's risk premium to the highest it has been in 10 months.
The CHP leadership forcefully rejected this ruling. Party spokespersons alleged that courts do not have the standing to cancel party congresses or remove elected officials, stating that “there was nothing for the courts to nullify.” However, the injunction of the court still existed, as a de facto power struggle was occurring at the Istanbul Provincial Headquarters building. Police teams surrounded the building and were positioned to try to allow the interim administration access. The CHP Youth Branch called for members to guard the building during the evening of September 7, 2025, to stop Gürsel Tekin and the court-appointed interim administration from gaining entry. However, the intervention from riot police created a complete police circle around the building, roads were closed to traffic, and many party members, including core party executives and members of Parliament, could not access the building. Images of the police presence were immediately distributed through social media and were trending across the country.
On September 11th, 2025, the court’s decision changed the trajectory of the circumstance. The Ankara 3rd Civil Court of First Instance ruled on the merits and denied the request to annul the Istanbul Provincial Congress. The court stated that there was no concrete evidence to support the allegations and that the Congress in question was valid. The court similarly ruled and denied the case to annul the 38th Ordinary Congress on procedural grounds, finding that there was already a case issued on the same claim.
The decision from Ankara was declared by the CHP leadership as a significant victory. Party lawyers announced, "The trustee's term has ended, the elected provincial administration will go on with their functions." CHP Deputy Chairs argued as well that the decision annulled the injunctions of the Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance, arguing that the tensions between party members had already been resolved in civil court. The differing decisions of the courts further complicated the crisis regarding the debate of dual leadership among CHP party members.
Nevertheless, the argument has not ended despite the conclusion of the de facto situation. Gürsel Tekin and the interim administration, both citing the Istanbul court judgment, argued that their duties were still in effect. Yet, the CHP lawyers maintained that the Ankara ruling superseded any other measures. The dual situation was made even more complicated due to the police presence in front of the party headquarters. Party members were now publicly dismissive of the trustee appointment, and oppositional media stated that the presence of Tekin weakens the legitimacy of CHP’s presence as a political branch in Istanbul
Written by: Ibrahim Alparslan Ekmekci
Edited by: Defne Taykurt