26.05.2026 14:21
Former AK Party founder and ex-Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Bülent Arınç made striking evaluations regarding the 'absolute nullity' decision against the CHP. Arınç stated, "As a legal professional, I find this decision wrong in terms of authority, duty, and procedural law. When viewed from a political perspective, the situation is not promising. It is the duty of the Court of Cassation to render a decision in accordance with law and equity as soon as possible and to lift the precaution."
With the court decision, the 38th Ordinary Congress of the CHP, dated November 4-5, 2023, was canceled, Özgür Özel and the party bodies were dismissed, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was appointed as the CHP Chairman.
STRIKING WORDS FROM ARINÇ While the "absolute nullity" decision against the CHP caused great controversy in the public, former Speaker of the Parliament and AK Party founder Bülent Arınç also made striking assessments on his X account.
"THIS ISSUE IS AN INTERNAL MATTER OF THE CHP" Arınç used the following statements: "I would like to express my views on the absolute nullity decision concerning the Republican People's Party. This issue is an internal matter of the CHP. The parties, complainants, victims, and suspects are all CHP members. In principle, I have no intention of binding any side in this matter. Our late Hoca Erbakan would never express any opinion in such situations; he would say, 'They know each other better, and what they say about each other is generally true. Let us not take sides in this matter.'
"I FIND THIS DECISION WRONG" However, as a legal expert and politician, my perspective on the issue is as follows. I read the 20-page decision of the Regional Court of Appeals. As a legal expert, I find this decision wrong in terms of authority, duty, and procedural law. To date, no civil court other than the Supreme Election Council has ruled on the Political Parties Law, Election Law, and related matters. I see the decision as conjunctural in nature. What is truly grave is that this decision was issued with an interim injunction. However, the decision could have been made without an injunction, pending review by the Court of Cassation, and today's chaotic environment might not have arisen. If the decision is finalized by the Court of Cassation, all necessary procedures would be resolved without conflict. Such an injunctive decision has not been seen in practice either. In light of all this, the duty of the Court of Cassation is to render a decision in accordance with law and equity as soon as possible and to lift the injunction.
"THE SITUATION WE SEE IS NOT HEARTENING" From a political perspective, the situation we see is not heartening either. I am a politician whose three parties were shut down by the Constitutional Court, one party was shut down by the September 12 Coup, another party escaped closure by a single vote, and a political ban was sought in every case filed against me. The Regional Court of Appeals decision is certainly not a party closure decision, but in its consequences, it is a decision that could render a party dysfunctional, stir internal conflict, and destroy its power. I would say from my own experience that such interventions cause institutions, especially the political institution itself, to become dysfunctional and lead to the obstruction of democracy.
Our late Hoca Erbakan never encouraged anyone to take to the streets, cause unrest, or engage in violence whenever our party was shut down. He would greet the decision with sorrow and continue on his way, saying, 'Alongside our great cause, this is not worth a dot.' We continued on our path and believed that our path with the AK Party and our nation was together. We stumbled but walked straight. The cadre that founded the AK Party has carried the nation's trust for years despite numerous coups, memorandums, roadblocks, threats, and conspiracies. Again, this cadre continues on its way by relying on our nation with law and patience over time, instead of demolishing the barricades placed before it with force. From the day when cries of 'He can't even be a mukhtar!' were heard to where we are today, thanks to our trust in law and our esteemed nation, we now have a leader who has served as Prime Minister uninterruptedly for 11 years and as President for 12 years without interruption, and we have the AK Party, which holds a place in the hearts of our nation."