politics
Turkish Appeals Court Voids 2023 CHP Leadership Election
An appeals court in Ankara overturned a lower court decision and declared the 2023 Republican People's Party leadership election null and void. The ruling replaces party leader Özgür Özel and the entire executive with former leader Kemal Kilicdaroğlu. The opposition has announced plans to challenge the decision.
May 22, 7:34 AM·1m read1 source
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An appeals court in Ankara on Thursday overturned a 2025 lower court ruling and declared the 2023 Republican People's Party leadership election null and void. The decision removes Özgür Özel as party leader and replaces the entire party executive with former leader Kemal Kilicdaroğlu.
Özgür Özel called the ruling a "judicial coup" and said the party would challenge it in Turkey's Court of Cassation and before the supreme election council. Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside CHP headquarters in Ankara after the decision was announced.
The appeals court found that allegations of vote buying during the 2023 primary had not been properly addressed by the lower court. The ruling means decisions made by the current CHP executive are no longer recognized. " The supreme election council met on Friday to consider the party's objection.
Erdogan ordered the closure of Istanbul's Bilgi University on Friday. The university has approximately 22,000 students. Law professor Yaman Akdeniz said the institution had been shut down overnight. Turkey's Council of Higher Education said it would take steps to ensure current students would not suffer hardship.
Turkey's stock market fell 6% on Thursday before recovering some ground on Friday morning.
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