Turkey's CHP revokes authority of seven overseas branches

The Republican People's Party (CHP) in Turkey annulled the authority documents of its foreign branches in the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, France (Lyon and Bordeaux) and the United Kingdom (Manchester). The Central Management Board approved the cancellations on 30 June 2026, citing violations of the party’s overseas organization rules. CHP leaders abroad, representing thousands of members, condemned the move as an attack on the party’s organisational will, saying it "undermines internal democracy" and threatens the party’s representation abroad. They reaffirmed support for CHP chairman Özgür Özel and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, describing the decision as a punitive measure against their collective stance. CHP’s Dutch union head Murat Han Gedikli echoed the criticism, calling the cancellations "an effort to punish organisational will" and pledging continued representation of CHP values overseas.