CHP Istanbul Congress: Özgür Çelik's 'A-Team' announced

The Republican People's Party (CHP) held its 39th Ordinary Istanbul Provincial Congress at the Hidayet Türkoğlu Sports Complex, which is affiliated with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). Incumbent Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik was re-elected to the post in the election, in which he participated as the sole candidate.

The voting process began at 22:45 and was completed at 00:00. CHP's imprisoned presidential candidate and İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his wife Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu also participated in the congress as delegates. Additionally, the spouses of imprisoned mayors—Gözde Bahçetepe, Asiye Çaykara, Safiye Mutlu, Firdevs Köşeler, Zehra Çalık, and Selma Özer—were among the delegates.

ÖZGÜR ÇELİK'S A-TEAM

DİLEK KAYA İMAMOĞLU CAST THE FIRST VOTE

The first person to cast a vote in the election was Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu. Özgür Çelik, who cast his vote afterward, was accompanied by İBB Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan. Çelik delivered important messages in his speech at the ballot box. Reminding that they have held their third congress during his two-year term, Çelik stated the following:

“During our two-year term, we faced a very difficult process. As soon as we took office, there were local elections, and following the local election preparations, ballot box security, and the 2024 elections, our party became the leading party in Turkey. We achieved a historic success in Istanbul. We doubled the number of our municipalities. We won Istanbul again. We secured a majority in the municipal council, and since then, we have been in a struggle for justice, freedom, and democracy. We are continuing our struggle with determination. There is no power above the will of the organization and the delegates in the CHP. The operations that started with the municipalities turned toward the corporate identity of the CHP after a certain stage. Lawsuits were filed against our party's congresses and general assemblies. They aimed to stop the CHP's march to power by damaging the CHP's reputation, casting a shadow over its credibility, and harming its image in society.”

“OUR DELEGATES DID NOT ALLOW THIS”

Thanking party members in his speech, Çelik continued his words as follows:

“Our delegates did not allow this. They convened an extraordinary congress last month. We were elected once again. With the ordinary congress we held today, those unlawful court decisions have now become moot. Therefore, on one hand, we will of course continue to follow that legal process with our lawyers. While observing the CHP's congresses, our citizens should look at the issue from this perspective: The CHP is the only political party in Turkey that sets up the ballot box in the neighborhood, elects the delegate in the neighborhood, where anyone who wishes can become a member, elects the delegate, elects the district chair and provincial delegate with those delegates, and elects the party assembly, party management, and the general chair at the general assembly with those provincial delegates. The CHP is the only party that keeps intra-party democracy alive in Turkey. In most political parties—I am not saying all of them—a single person or a group from above decides who will be the provincial chair, who will be the district chair, and who will be the manager, but in the CHP, the general chair is elected through a chain process with the votes cast by the members in the neighborhood.”

VOTE COUNTING CONTINUED UNTIL MIDNIGHT

Following the vote count, which continued until late at night, Özgür Çelik was re-elected as the Istanbul Provincial Chair, receiving 536 out of 540 valid votes. After the results were announced, Çelik said, “I thank everyone who participated and contributed. Our provincial congress is not an end, but a brand-new beginning. We promise you a new beginning.”

COURT DECISION AND YSK PROCESS

Prior to the congress, the request by the Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance to appoint Gürsel Tekin as a trustee to the CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency and to halt the congress had come to the agenda. The court had forwarded this request to the Supreme Election Council (YSK) through the Istanbul Governorship and the Sarıyer 1st District Election Board Presidency.

Making a statement following the evaluation at the YSK, Deputy Chair Özübek stated that they had received the letter from the Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance stating that “the congress cannot be held due to the previously issued injunction remaining in effect,” and used the following expression:

“A decision has been made for the congress to continue. It has been decided that the congress processes, which have started in accordance with the procedure, cannot be stopped by the district election boards, and the decision will be sent to the parties and relevant units.”

News Source: 12punto