Resignation in CHP following controversial appointment

The appointment of former Muş Youth Branch President Erkan Çakır to a new position within the CHP has sparked controversy. Çakır, who was appointed as the Eastern Anatolia Regional Representative by the CHP Sports Board Presidency, announced that he was stepping down from his post after blackmail and fraud cases against him were brought back to the agenda.

Çakır's name had also come to the fore during the debates surrounding the 38th Ordinary Congress of the CHP, where Özgür Özel was elected chairman. His social media posts and the subsequent legal process were cited as one of the issues that led to the congress lawsuit being brought to the agenda.

ÇAKIR: I AM RESIGNING TO AVOID CAUSING HARM

In a statement on his X account, Çakır noted that he had served as provincial youth branch president and as an executive on the Headquarters Sports Board within the CHP for many years. Stating that he had apologized for his attitude toward Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu following the 38th Ordinary Congress, Çakır expressed that he was honored by the appointment but was stepping down so that the process would not harm the party.

I was primarily honored by this appointment made to me today. However, I am resigning from my post in this process to avoid causing harm to the CHP's corporate identity and our former chairman, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

Previously, Çakır had brought to the agenda on his social media account the allegation that the then-CHP Bursa Provincial Chairman Nihat Yeşiltaş had made a deal with some delegates in exchange for money. Following Yeşiltaş's criminal complaint, the file was sent from Bursa to Ankara. It was stated that Çakır, who gave a statement within the scope of the investigation, said that he did not see the allegation in question himself and was repeating what another person had conveyed.

In a case heard at the İzmir 40th Criminal Court of First Instance, Çakır was sentenced to 20 months in prison and a judicial fine of 25 thousand TL for the crime of blackmail. It was reported that the decision was upheld by the 9th Criminal Chamber of the İzmir Regional Court of Justice on January 6, 2025, and that Çakır, who had entered prison, was released in recent days.

Journalist İsmail Saymaz also reacted to Çakır's appointment. Saymaz wrote that Çakır had come to the agenda with allegations regarding two women working in a CHP-run municipality, that he had received a prison sentence for blackmail in one of the cases, and that the trial was ongoing in the other with charges of blackmail and fraud.

While criticizing the CHP management, Saymaz used the phrase, "Purification must not be like this." Following the controversy, Çakır's decision to resign also brought with it criticisms regarding the appointment process within the party.