Overview

• Hearings began June 30 in Ankara over alleged vote manipulation at the CHP’s November 2023 party congress, running parallel to the indictment of Ekrem İmamoğlu and 11 other CHP figures.
• Prosecutors allege that delegates were paid to secure Özgür Özel’s election as party chair and argue that voiding the vote could strip him of his post.
• A decision to annul the congress results would allow a court-appointed trustee to oversee the CHP and could pave the way for former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s return.
• Ekrem İmamoğlu remains jailed on corruption charges from his March arrest and faces separate manipulation charges in the ongoing proceedings.
• The CHP and European Parliament condemn the trial as a politically motivated attempt to weaken the main opposition ahead of presidential elections where polls show İmamoğlu leading President Erdoğan by up to 15 points.