Atilla Kart, a former MP in the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s main opposition party, disclosed in a YouTube interview with journalist Nevşin Mengü on Monday that he was thwarted from representing the CHP at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to challenge the 2017 constitutional referendum. This referendum was a watershed moment for Turkey, transitioning its system of governance to an executive presidency and significantly amplifying the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Kart had been designated by the CHP to legally address the referendum’s disputed results. He prepared a comprehensive 45-page petition and 250 pages of annexes., but he was instructed to submit the application as an individual, a directive issued by senior party officials Haluk Koç and Tekin Bingöl, who were relaying a message from Kılıçdaroğlu.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had criticised Turkey’s Supreme Election Council for accepting ballots in envelopes lacking official polling station stamps. Kart had been authorised to represent the CHP in challenging this Election Council decision, which he described as a grave violation requiring immediate action.
Kart continued with his individual application at the ECtHR, where court officials had initially presumed he was representing the CHP. The lack of formal party endorsement considerably weakened the case, according to Kart.
The 2017 constitutional referendum and the 2018 general election have been subject to scrutiny due to allegations of electoral malpractice. A 2018 forensic analysis identified statistically significant signs of fraudulent activities, such as ballot stuffing and voter rigging. These findings corroborate past reports and underscore the need for thorough investigations to safeguard democratic processes in Turkey.
