Turkey's CHP faces scrutiny over 124 million lira media payments and provincial office turmoil

A list obtained from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) shows the party’s central administration paid a total of 124 million 68 000 lira to various media outlets between 2024 and 2026. The largest sum, 79 million 220 000 lira, went to Halk TV, followed by 33 million 700 000 lira to Tele1. Smaller payments were made to BirGün, Tele2, Yurttaş Medya and other outlets, prompting debate over the boundary between party financing and media independence.

Separate reports indicate that after the party’s “absolute veto” decision, former provincial head Özgür Özel’s team resisted vacating CHP provincial headquarters in several cities, including İzmir, Malatya, Ankara and Batman. Alleged incidents involve forceful entry, physical confrontations and claims of looted assets and unresolved handovers of bank accounts and documents, highlighting internal governance disputes within the party.