Overview
- An Ankara appellate court on Thursday annulled the CHP’s 2023 leadership vote, ordered Özgür Özel and the executive removed, and provisionally named Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu to lead the party.
- The court cited alleged irregularities including pressure on delegates, job offers and vote‑buying when it declared the 2023 congress void.
- Özel and senior CHP figures rejected the ruling as politically motivated, occupied the party headquarters in Ankara and filed appeals that keep the decision legally contested.
- Financial markets reacted quickly as the central bank intervened to defend the lira and Istanbul stocks fell, adding immediate economic strain to the political turmoil.
- The decision builds on a yearlong campaign of prosecutions and removals of CHP officials, including the high‑profile detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu, and has drawn criticism from EU and German politicians over rule‑of‑law concerns.