A Turkish court has annulled the 2023 leadership election of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), in a sharp escalation against the country’s embattled opposition. The ruling reinstates former chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu as interim leader, replacing current head Ozgur Ozel.

The decision is the latest in a series of judicial moves targeting the CHP, which won a landslide victory over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party in the 2024 local elections and has been rising in polls. The case tests the balance between democracy and increasingly centralized power in Turkey.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel condemned the ruling as an “attempted coup through the judiciary,” while deputy parliamentary group chair Ali Mahir Basarir called it “a blow against the will of 86 million people.” The government, which denies using courts to target opponents, said the ruling “renews faith in the rule of law.”

The CHP has faced an unprecedented crackdown since 2024, with hundreds of members detained on corruption charges. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan’s main rival and the CHP’s presidential candidate for 2028, has been imprisoned for over a year.

Financial markets reacted sharply: the Borsa Istanbul index fell 6%, triggering a circuit breaker, while government bonds slid. The central bank sold billions of dollars to stabilize the currency, traders said.

The pro-Kurdish DEM Party called the court decision a “black stain” on Turkish democracy. Kilicdaroglu urged calm and common sense, expressing hope the country would benefit from the ruling.

Source: www.aljazeera.com