Turkish Appeals Court Annuls Opposition Party Congress and Reinstates Former Leader

A Turkish appeals court on Friday annulled the 2023 congress of the main opposition Republican People's Party and reinstated its former chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu in place of current leader Ozgur Ozel. The court cited unspecified irregularities in the congress. The Republican People's Party condemned the decision as a judicial coup and said it would challenge the ruling through legal appeals.

Ozel stated he would remain in the party's Ankara headquarters to fight the decision. The party appealed to the Supreme Election Board, which it said is the only body authorized to annul a party congress. The Supreme Election Board met on Friday to review the appeal. The court issued its ruling under a law on associations, an approach not previously used for party congresses in modern Turkey.

Turkish assets declined and the lira reached a record low.

The central bank sold billions of dollars in foreign reserves to support the currency. Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said the government would continue to implement its economic program despite the market movements. Smaller opposition parties criticized the ruling as anti-democratic. Nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli said the judiciary should not intervene in internal party matters.