01.06.2026 01:00
In a joint statement, CHP Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality council members declared they will never bow to judicial interventions against the party administration and expressed full support for Özgür Özel, Özgür Çelik, and Ekrem İmamoğlu. Stating that they face an unprecedented operation in CHP's 103-year history, the council members emphasized that those who sit at the party headquarters under the guise of court rulings cannot carry more than the title of "trustee."
Members of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Assembly have published a joint manifesto against the change of party administration through an absolute nullity decision. In the joint written statement shared on social media by Ülkü İnanlı, Deputy Chair of the CHP Group in the İBB Assembly, full support was given to Chairman Özgür Özel, Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, and İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, emphasizing that those appointed by court decision can only bear the title of "trustee."
"WE ARE UNDER AN UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK IN 103 YEARS OF HISTORY" CHP's İBB Assembly members issued a joint written statement. Ülkü İnanlı, Deputy Chair of the CHP Group in the İBB Assembly, announced the statement on her social media account. The highlights of the statement, which noted that the CHP is under an unprecedented attack in its 103-year history, are as follows:
"As Republican People's Party İBB Assembly members, the People's Party is under an attack unseen in its 103-year history. The reason for the attacks is clear. With the 2024 local elections, the Republican People's Party became the first party after 47 years and has become the ruling AKP's worst nightmare. Fearing that the prophecy of the ruling party chairman, who said 'He who loses Istanbul loses Turkey,' would come true, they first subjected all CHP municipalities, especially İBB, to bureaucratic obstacles; when that was not enough, they cut their resources to put them under economic pressure; and when that was insufficient, they began changing laws. When all these measures failed to prevent public support, the March 19 coup process was launched against Ekrem İmamoğlu. His 30-year university diploma was revoked because it is one of the requirements for presidential candidacy.
"THE ABSOLUTE NULLITY DECISION IS A TOOL OF THE GOVERNMENT" And over the past year, despite the government's historically unprecedented ruthless operations against the CHP and our municipalities, our Chairman Özgür Özel did not take a single step back against the March 19 coup, did not abandon his comrades midway, and continued on his path with faith and determination despite all threats. Our Chairman Özgür Özel's determined struggle by holding more than 100 rallies, our Provincial Chairman's refusal to take a step back despite dozens of lawsuits filed against him, and the steadfast stance of our incarcerated mayors, especially our presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, and our organization, led the government, which is experiencing a major management crisis and eroding day by day, to resort, as a last resort, to dividing the Republican People's Party and creating the opposition party of the palace. The goal is clear… The nullity decision is merely a convenient tool crafted to serve the government's purpose.
"NO ONE CAN MORTGAGE THE WILL OF MILLIONS" While our leaders, who were claimed to have won the Congress held in November 2023 through fraud, are imprisoned in Silivri dungeons, the Republican People's Party under the leadership of our Chairman Özgür Özel first held an Extraordinary Congress with the same delegates and then the 39th Regular Congress, starting from neighborhoods and representing the will of millions, and our Chairman Özgür Özel was re-elected as our Chairman. No one can mortgage the will of millions based on unfounded complaint petitions filed by a few individuals who carry CHP IDs but have become AKP agents, ignoring the Constitution and the powers of the Supreme Election Council (YSK), and relying on precautionary decisions of biased courts.
"THOSE SEATED BY COURT DECISION ARE NO MORE THAN TRUSTEES" In the statement, it was clearly emphasized that the party's elected legitimate leader is Özgür Özel, and those who returned to the headquarters seat by court decision were likened to 'trustees':
"The aim of the forces that have seated those who lost all elections they entered back in the CHP Headquarters is to purge the cadres who made the CHP the first party. Those sitting in the CHP Headquarters by hiding behind court decisions should know that they cannot bear more than the title of trustee. If they intend to disregard all congresses, our bylaw is clear, and a congress must be convened immediately. Any behavior to the contrary is nothing but collaboration with the government."
"WE STAND WITH ÖZEL, ÇELİK, AND İMAMOĞLU" In the final part of the declaration, the CHP İBB Assembly group declared that they are united around the party's elected figures and gave the following message of determination:
"The Republican People's Party has never bowed to military coups or palace coups throughout its history, and it will not. Our place is clear as Republican People's Party İBB Assembly members. We will continue our determined struggle for the people's power alongside and as comrades of our elected Chairman Özgür Özel, our Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, our Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu."