Daijiworld Media Network – Ankara
Ankara, May 22: A court in Turkiye has annulled the 2023 leadership election of the country’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), intensifying political tensions and triggering fresh concerns over the state of democracy in the country.
The ruling overturned the election that had brought current party leader Ozgur Ozel to power and instead named former CHP chief Kemal Kilicdaroglu as interim leader.
The development is being viewed as a major setback for the opposition CHP, which had emerged stronger after defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party in key municipalities during the 2024 local elections.
The secular and centrist CHP has also been gaining ground in opinion polls against Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted and conservative AK Party.
Reacting sharply to the verdict, the CHP described the move as an “attempted coup” carried out through the judiciary. Party leaders convened emergency discussions following the ruling, while protests were also reportedly planned.
CHP deputy parliamentary group chair Ali Mahir Basarir alleged that the verdict amounted to an attack on the democratic will of the people and accused authorities of using the judiciary for political purposes.
The Turkish government, however, rejected criticism that courts were being used to target political opponents and maintained that the ruling reinforced public confidence in the rule of law.
The verdict comes amid increasing pressure on the opposition party. Since 2024, several CHP leaders, members and elected representatives have faced corruption-related investigations and arrests, charges the party has repeatedly denied.
Among those imprisoned is Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, considered President Erdogan’s principal political rival and the CHP’s declared candidate for the next presidential election scheduled for 2028, though early polls are reportedly possible next year.
Political observers say the court ruling could deepen divisions within the opposition camp and potentially strengthen Erdogan’s chances of extending his more than two-decade-long rule.
Financial markets also reacted sharply to the development, with Turkiye’s Borsa Istanbul index reportedly falling 6 per cent, triggering a market-wide circuit breaker, while government bonds also came under pressure.