An Ankara appeals court on Thursday annulled the 2023 congress that elected Ozgur Ozel as leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), delivering a major political win for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ozel had succeeded Kemal Kilicdaroglu as CHP chair after the 2023 vote. Kilicdaroglu, 77, was widely seen as a less confrontational figure, but under Ozel the CHP has closed the gap with Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in opinion polls. Ozel also emerged as a prominent face of the mass street protests that erupted in March 2025 following the arrest and imprisonment of former Istanbul mayor and CHP presidential hopeful Ekrem Imamoglu.
A lower court last year dismissed the initial challenge to the 2023 congress, finding no grounds to overturn the result. But the appeals court reversed that decision on Thursday, citing alleged irregularities in the vote, including accusations that Ozel won support by promising jobs and other benefits.
The court provisionally suspended Ozel and members of the CHP executive board and temporarily reinstated Kilicdaroglu. Kilicdaroglu urged party activists to stay calm, saying the CHP would resolve its issues internally.
Ozel responded defiantly on social media, calling on supporters not to back down. “We will not give in,” he wrote, promising perseverance, dignity and continued struggle rather than an easy path to power.
The ruling is the latest in a series of legal actions affecting CHP members and elected officials and has thrown the party into turmoil. Senior leaders were summoned to an emergency meeting at the CHP’s Ankara headquarters as hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside waving flags and chanting slogans.
Financial markets reacted sharply. Istanbul’s BIST 100 index plunged more than 6%, prompting a market-wide circuit breaker.
The decision reshapes the political landscape ahead of the next presidential vote, scheduled for 2028, when Erdogan will be seeking to extend two decades in power. The appeals court action is likely to intensify tensions between the government and the opposition and raises questions about the legal and political battles that will shape Turkey’s coming years.
Edited by: Sean Sinico