Turkish Court Nullifies Opposition Leadership Election, Tightening Erdoğan's Grip on Power
A Turkish appeals court has nullified the 2023 leadership election within the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), reinstalling Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as leader and effectively removing Özgür Özel. This decision, described by Özel as a "dark day for Turkish democracy" and a "judicial coup", means the party's entire executive is replaced and its recent decisions are no longer recognised.
The ruling has prompted thousands to gather outside CHP headquarters in Ankara and is widely seen as a further manoeuvre to cement President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's control. Justice Minister Akin Gürlek, previously a chief prosecutor known for targeting opposition figures, including the popular Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, asserted the ruling "reinforces our citizens' trust in democracy." İmamoğlu remains a prominent political rival to Erdoğan and is currently incarcerated on corruption charges that carry a sentence of over 2,000 years.
The Supreme Election Council convened on Friday to review the opposition's objection to the court's decision. The Ankara appeals court's move overturns a 2025 lower court ruling that had dismissed vote-buying allegations during the CHP primary which saw Özel elected. The Turkish stock market plummeted by 6% following the announcement on Thursday, recovering some losses by Friday morning.
Özel has accused Erdoğan's AK Party of a deliberate strategy to "eliminate its rivals." Istanbul's jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş have both issued defiant statements, with Yavaş warning that the ruling aims to divide the CHP and render it ineffective amidst a flagging economy, potentially leading to snap elections.
In a separate development, President Erdoğan ordered the closure of Istanbul's independent Bilgi University, impacting some 22,000 students. Law professor Yaman Akdeniz condemned the abrupt closure of an institution built over 30 years.
