A Turkish appeals court has annulled the 2023 congress of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, effectively removing CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and the party’s current administration.
The Ankara court ruled that former CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu and members of the previous party leadership should return to the helm while the legal process continues. The decision marks a major escalation in the judicial pressure facing Turkey’s main opposition party.
The case concerns the CHP’s 38th ordinary congress in November 2023, when Ozel defeated Kilicdaroglu and took over the leadership of the party, ending Kilicdaroglu’s 13-year tenure. The court cited alleged irregularities in the congress process, including claims linked to the buying of delegate votes.
The CHP has rejected the allegations and described the case as a political intervention through the judiciary. Senior party figures condemned the ruling as an attack on democratic will and said the party would challenge the decision.
The decision also hit Turkish markets, with Borsa Istanbul falling sharply after the ruling. The case comes amid broader pressure on the CHP, including legal action against opposition-run municipalities and the arrest of key opposition figures in recent years.
Source: CNA
