The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) seeks new tricks to stave off a trial over vote-buying allegations in a 2023 intraparty vote that brought current Chairperson Özgür Özel to power.

On Sunday, delegates convened in Ankara for the second extraordinary congress in six months, ahead of the new hearing in the trial set for October. Özel was the sole candidate in Sunday’s election and was reelected. A total of 917 delegates voted in the election. Özel secured 835 votes.

Earlier, he had asked for a no-confidence vote so that his term would end and a new term under him would begin. Fellow members of the party accepted and issued the no-confidence.

The election at the extraordinary congress is mainly symbolic and primarily aims to cement Özel’s rule at the party. Suppose an Ankara court rules next month for the “absolute nullification” of Özel’s chairmanship after the November 2023 election, where he defeated then-Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. In that case, the CHP hopes Özel will remain in power anyway after two election “wins” in six months. Kılıçdaroğlu, who has long demonstrated solidarity with Özel, especially after the party’s several mayors were arrested earlier this year on charges of corruption, was absent at Sunday’s vote, while a former chair of the party, Hikmet Çetin and Murat Karayalçın, former chair of the CHP-linked Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP), attended the congress.

Addressing the congress before his election, Özel acknowledged that his party failed to secure a government for 47 years, but they “never turned their back on the nation.” “We respected the decision of the people, as this is the gist of democracy. We tried to win hearts by changing ourselves,” Özel, who himself underwent a series of surgeries after winning the party’s top seat in November 2023 and shed his glasses. Özel claimed Türkiye was at a turning point and the CHP was “targeted” amid the possibility of an end to the lengthy governance of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).

An Ankara court last Monday adjourned to Oct. 24 the lawsuit seeking to annul the CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress, where Özgür Özel unseated Kılıçdaroğlu.

The case, filed by former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş and several delegates, accuses party insiders of vote-buying and irregularities during the November 2023 congress. The plaintiffs demand that the congress be declared “absolutely null and void,” which would strip Özel of power and restore Kılıçdaroğlu’s team or even impose a court-appointed trustee.

For the CHP, which has spent months reeling from corruption scandals and a power struggle, the court’s decision provided a temporary relief. But the risk of judicial intervention and the possibility of the party’s leadership being overturned, remains very much alive.

CHP officials hailed the court’s rejection of an injunction request as a small victory. Had the injunction been granted, Özel’s leadership could have been suspended immediately, with the party placed under trusteeship.

Yet, the court’s decision to merely postpone instead of dismissing the case outright left the door open for future interventions. Party figures complained that the trial was “political” and should have been rejected outright. Turkish officials, however, have repeatedly underlined that the judiciary in Türkiye acts independently, with courts free to rule based on legal procedures rather than political pressure.

With more than 900 delegate signatures, the party called for an extraordinary congress on Sept. 21, hoping to eliminate the possibility of “absolute nullity” or “trusteeship” by reelecting Özel.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) rejected a CHP delegate’s plea to cancel the extraordinary congress on grounds of “absolute illegality.”

The court itself requested documentation from district election boards regarding both the Sept. 21 congress and Istanbul’s provincial congress, signaling that it may factor these processes into its decision.

Party insiders presented the extraordinary congress as proof of legitimacy, but critics argue it is merely an attempt to paper over deep divisions. Former Istanbul provincial Chair Özgür Çelik, who was removed by trustees, said the delay “dangles the sword of Damocles over the party” and keeps the CHP in the spotlight for the “wrong reasons.”

The case is significant because of the precedent set in Istanbul, where the court already replaced CHP officials with trustees. The plaintiffs in the congress case sought the same remedy, though the court refrained from granting it in September.

Legal experts note that on Oct. 24, the court could still declare “absolute nullity,” invalidate Özel’s chairpersonship and either restore Kılıçdaroğlu’s team or install a convocation committee tasked with taking the party to a new congress within 45 days.

Even if such a decision is appealed, it could paralyze the party’s leadership and compound the uncertainty.

Kılıçdaroğlu, ousted after more than a decade at the helm, has stayed silent during the proceedings. His lawyer insists he did not initiate the case. Still, many party members support his return and speculation abounds about his role if “absolute nullity” is declared.

Some within the party fear that if reinstated, Kılıçdaroğlu could delay fresh congresses and remain in office until 2026, prolonging uncertainty and possibly splitting the party.

CHP officials loyal to Özel accuse pro-Kılıçdaroğlu factions of undermining party unity. The leadership insists it will not be destabilized by “any scenario,” but the undercurrent of rivalry is unmistakable.

Adding to the tension are quiet discussions within party circles about the possibility of a new political formation if Kılıçdaroğlu were to take back control and refuse to call a congress promptly. Some party figures warn that such a move could accelerate fractures within the CHP and pave the way for breakaway groups to establish a rival opposition party.

The Oct. 24 hearing will be decisive in determining whether the CHP emerges from this crisis intact or descends deeper into internal conflict.

If the case is dismissed, Özel will be able to claim a measure of legitimacy ahead of the November criminal trial. If not, the specter of trusteeship or Kılıçdaroğlu’s return could plunge the opposition into a new phase of uncertainty.