Politics
Controversial names return to CHP leadership despite bribery charges
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) is facing renewed criticism after several party figures linked to high-profile corruption and bribery allegations were elected once again to the Party Assembly (PM) during the 39th Ordinary Congress held over the weekend. CHP Chair Özgür Özel’s “key list,” approved almost unanimously by delegates, included names cited in recent indictments, prompting objections from intraparty critics who had urged a “clean break” from ongoing judicial controversies.
According to Murathan Yıldırım from the Sabah newspaper, the three-day congress concluded on Sunday with elections for the Party Assembly and the High Disciplinary Board (YDK). Despite calls from dissident factions to exclude individuals facing corruption-related accusations, Özel’s list retained Deputy Chairs Burhanettin Bulut and Özgür Karabat. Both men were named in an indictment prepared by prosecutors in the so-called Aziz Ihsan Aktaş case, which alleges that Bulut received $1 million and Karabat TL 5 million (more than $117,000) in bribes. Karabat is also described as a close ally of former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who remains in pretrial detention in a separate municipal investigation.
Another controversial figure, PM member Baki Aydöner also detained in connection with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) probe, secured reelection with Özel’s backing. Prosecutors claim Aydöner accepted two plots of land valued at TL 50 million from a businessperson seeking payment from the municipality. The same indictment alleges he also received $100,000 from Aktaş. Aydöner has denied wrongdoing through his lawyers.
Meanwhile, CHP lawmaker Turan Taşkın Özer, frequently mentioned in the IBB indictment and described as “a suspect and alleged member of an organized structure,” won a seat on the YDK. Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek recently announced that files seeking the lifting of parliamentary immunity for Karabat and Özer were forwarded to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Since taking office after the contentious 38th Ordinary Congress, Özel and his senior team have carried out what has been described as a sweeping purge of loyalists of his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. More than 400 party members have been referred to the disciplinary board in the first 10 months of Özel’s leadership. CHP members who raised or supported the allegations tied to the vote-buying case were swiftly expelled.
Media reports on Thursday revealed how a deputy mayor amassed an otherwise improbable fortune through corruption, along with a huge cache of munitions for pistols.
Security forces have recently raided several locations on allegations of corruption at the municipality of Yahşihan, a small town in Kırıkkale, a province neighboring the capital, Ankara. Nine suspects, including acting Mayor Aydın Demirdirek, were detained while a total of 2,031 properties suspected of being obtained through bribery and illicit gains were seized.
The investigation revealed that deputy mayor S.S.Y., detained in the operation, owned 1,630 properties while Demirdirek had 11. Assembly members F.D. and Ö.H. owned 32 and 22 properties, respectively, an unnatural wealth apparently accumulated through corruption. A search of the residence of S.S.Y. also led to the discovery of an unlicensed pistol and a record amount of 11,312 rounds of ammunition.
Investigators also listed other unusual findings in the case, including 336 properties owned by the spouse, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and another suspect linked to U.B., former head of the municipality’s department issuing zoning and construction permits. Authorities said the assets owned by the suspects sharply contrasted with their official declaration of income. U.B. is also accused of laundering money, based on a suspiciously high amount of cash transfers between him and other suspects in the case.
Two former mayors of Yahşihan, from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), were among 15 suspects remanded into custody last month on charges of corruption.
Ahmet Sungur and Osman Türkyılmaz were detained along with their deputies, municipal assembly members and businesspeople on Sept. 24. They are accused of running a criminal organization, bribery, rigging public tenders and fraud.
A crackdown on municipalities where mayors are suspected of corruption began a few years ago in Istanbul and soon spread across the country. Most of those arrested or detained for corruption are from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Probably the most notable among them is Ekrem Imamoğlu, mayor of Türkiye’s most populous city, Istanbul. Imamoğlu was arrested last year.
The head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalın, met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in Ankara to discuss bilateral security cooperation, the integration of former SDF elements, counterterrorism efforts and regional stability, Turkish security sources said Thursday.
Kalın held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in the capital Ankara, focusing on strengthening bilateral ties and coordinating efforts to address regional security challenges.
According to security sources, the meeting covered Türkiye-Syria relations, potential areas of cooperation, ties with neighboring countries and measures aimed at promoting regional stability.
The officials also reviewed the status of the integration process following the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), while emphasizing the importance of maintaining close coordination in the fight against terrorist organizations, including Daesh.
The discussions addressed continued Israeli attacks in southern Syria and their implications for the country’s security and territorial integrity.
Kalın and al-Shaibani also examined the impact of the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, particularly the potential benefits for rebuilding and strengthening the country’s defense capabilities.
The talks come as Ankara and Damascus seek to consolidate security cooperation following the dissolution of the YPG-dominated SDF and its integration into Syrian state institutions.
The integration process stems from agreements reached between the Syrian government and the SDF in March 2025 and January 2026, aimed at bringing armed groups, security structures and civilian institutions under central government authority.
In August, the SDF leadership announced that the integration of its military, security and administrative structures had been completed. Türkiye subsequently welcomed the group’s dissolution, describing it as an important development for Syria’s stability and territorial unity.
Ankara considers the YPG the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist group, which has waged a decadeslong insurgency against the Turkish state. Türkiye has consistently called for a unified Syrian army and the elimination of armed groups operating outside Damascus’ authority.
Cemil Tugay, mayor of Türkiye’s third-largest city, Izmir, joined the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Wednesday in a landmark move for the party, which has failed to win the city for years.
The AK Party portrayed the move as ushering in a new era for the Aegean city, which has been beset by chronic problems for years, with a video showing flowers blossoming over mountains of garbage as it announced Tugay’s switch.
Expectations are high following the switch, given the successful track record of AK Party-run municipalities in public services. Locals hope the new era will turn around the fortunes of a city grappling with pollution in the Gulf of Izmir, uncollected garbage, infrastructure shortcomings and transportation problems.
Tugay pledged that “good things are in store” for Izmir after joining the party. The mayor had been serving as an independent after resigning from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which has dominated municipal elections in Izmir for the past two decades.
Izmir has been under the spotlight since the 2024 local elections, particularly over strikes by workers and civil servants at district municipalities, from Karabağlar, Konak and Karşıyaka to Buca and Bayraklı. Delays in salary payments since the 2024 vote led to strikes whose impact was most visible in uncollected garbage piling up on the streets and threatening public health.
The garbage problem is the first emergency, and the municipality is expected to shut down a landfill in the Çiğli district and build new solid waste disposal facilities.
Second, severe sanctions are expected against businesses and individuals polluting the Gulf of Izmir, which has suffered mass fish deaths. A wastewater treatment plant that has been left to deteriorate will undergo a major renovation. This is expected to help the city tackle the nightmarish stench that engulfs Izmir, particularly in the summer.
Another issue requiring attention is urban transformation, including the demolition and renewal of decaying housing projects. Amid a corruption scandal involving the construction of new housing projects, Tugay’s predecessor, Tunç Soyer, was arrested last year, while some housing projects have remained incomplete for the past five years. Under the new administration, urban transformation projects are expected to be accelerated, particularly for low-income families.
The municipality is also expected to launch a drive to renew roads across Izmir, many of which have become riddled with potholes due to inadequate maintenance.
In terms of transportation, new projects are underway, including the construction of a new bypass and increased investment in railway systems.
Bilal Saygılı, chairperson of the AK Party’s Izmir branch, said they would work in coordination with Tugay to resolve the city’s problems. Yaşar Kırkpınar, an AK Party lawmaker from Izmir, described Tugay’s switch as a turning point for Izmir’s future and public services.
Ceyda Bölünmez Çankırı, another AK Party lawmaker from Izmir, said the city had longed for “real municipal services for years” and that they would work hard to deliver them to residents under Tugay’s leadership.
Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides are set to meet on Oct. 13 in the United Nations-controlled buffer zone on the divided island of Cyprus, according to reports Wednesday.
The meeting between the leaders of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Greek Cypriot administration is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. local time and is expected to focus on efforts surrounding the Cyprus issue and confidence-building measures.
The two leaders last met on Sept. 17 at the office of the U.N. Good Offices Mission in the buffer zone. Their closed-door talks, which began at 11 a.m., lasted approximately two hours.
Following the meeting, the U.N. said Erhürman and Christodoulides had exchanged views on confidence-building measures, methodology and substantive aspects of the Cyprus issue.
Erhürman said after the talks that the two sides had yet to reach an agreement on confidence-building measures.
“On the remaining substantive issues, the two sides are only at the stage of listening to each other’s thoughts and views. That is the clear picture,” he said, noting that the meeting was “better” than their previous talks but that the sides remained at the stage of listening to each other’s positions on substantive issues.
He also stressed that concrete progress on the island would be necessary before another meeting could be held in an expanded format.
Erhürman and Christodoulides later traveled to New York for the U.N. General Assembly following their Sept. 17 meeting. The two leaders did not hold a bilateral meeting during their time in New York, although talks were held between their respective delegations.
Cyprus has remained divided for more than five decades between the Turkish Cypriot north and the Greek Cypriot south despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement. The TRNC was established in 1983 and is recognized only by Türkiye, while the Greek Cypriot administration represents the island internationally and joined the European Union in 2004.
Turkish officials and leaders in Turkish Cyprus have increasingly advocated a two-state solution to the dispute, arguing that decades of United Nations-led negotiations for a federal settlement have failed to produce results.
The upcoming Oct. 13 meeting comes as efforts continue to find common ground between the two sides and determine the next steps in the long-running Cyprus issue.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that Türkiye remains ready to support efforts to establish direct contacts between Russia and Ukraine, stressing the importance of diplomacy aimed at finding a solution to the war.
Erdoğan and Putin discussed bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues during a phone call, Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications said in a statement.
During the call, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.
He said Türkiye was always ready to contribute to initiatives aimed at establishing direct contacts between Moscow and Kyiv and underlined the importance of solution-oriented diplomatic efforts, according to the statement.
The two leaders also discussed Türkiye-Russia relations and other regional and international developments, the directorate said, without providing further details.
Erdoğan also congratulated Putin on his birthday and on his party’s performance in Russia’s Duma elections.
The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has alleged that vehicles, equipment and other assets worth more than TL 250 million (approximately $5.1 million) were reported to have been removed or gone missing from its provincial and district offices during the formation of the New Party (YP).
The alleged losses followed a court ruling declaring the CHP’s leadership election legally invalid, triggering a period of internal turmoil and disputes over party property.
According to findings cited by CHP officials, the vehicles and equipment were allegedly taken from party offices across Türkiye’s 81 provinces, Sabah newspaper reported.
Individual criminal complaints have been filed with prosecutors under the coordination of CHP Deputy Chair Tahsin Tarhan, seeking investigations into the missing assets.
The allegations also involve seven district headquarters previously rented by the CHP. Rental agreements were reportedly changed following arrangements with property owners, allowing the buildings to be transferred to the New Party without the CHP leadership’s knowledge.
The affected districts reportedly include Akyurt and Altındağ in Ankara.
A court ruling in a case concerning alleged irregularities at the CHP’s November 2023 convention declared the congress null and void and reinstated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the previous party administration.
In late July, following escalating tensions within the party, Özel and 90 lawmakers resigned from the CHP and established the New Party.
Meanwhile, several missing CHP vehicles were reportedly located in industrial repair facilities and scrapyards. Party officials alleged that many returned vehicles had been deliberately damaged, potentially requiring millions of liras in repairs.
The whereabouts of office furniture, computers, sound systems and air conditioning units remain unknown.
CHP officials further alleged that equipment belonging to the party had been transferred to newly established New Party offices.
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