Turkish opposition fights court ousting of leaders in ruling boosting Erdogan

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Turkish opposition fights court ousting of leaders in ruling boosting ErdoganJust now Share Save Add as preferred on GooglePaul KirbyEurope digital editorAFP via Getty ImagesThe leader of the main opposition Özgür Özel accused Turkey's leaders of a "judicial coup"Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel has vowed to fight a court ruling removing him and fellow party leaders, in the latest legal move that helps cement President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's grip on power. The appeal court declared the 2023 leadership election in Özel's Republican People's Party (CHP) null and void, prompting thousands of demonstrators to gather outside party headquarters in Ankara. "We are experiencing a dark day for Turkish democracy," said Özel, who vowed to challenge the ruling in the courts and with Turkey's supreme election council (YSK).

Justice Minister Akin Gürlek insisted the ruling "reinforces our citizens' trust in democracy". Until Gürlek was appointed justice minister by President Erdogan earlier this year, he was the chief prosecutor in Istanbul who spearheaded investigations targeting the opposition, and the city's highly popular mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu in particular. Imamoglu, who is still considered Erdogan's biggest political rival, has been in jail for over a year and it was Gürlek who accused him of corruption offences which command more than 2,000 years behind bars.

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The supreme election council was meeting on Friday to hear the opposition party's objection to the court's decision. Turkey demands more than 2,000 years in jail for popular Istanbul mayorWho is Turkish opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu? This 'tough guy' president says he's tackling corruption.

Rivals say he's silencing oppositionIn its ruling on Thursday, the appeals court in Ankara overturned a 2025 ruling by a lower court that threw out allegations of vote buying during the CHP primary which made Özgür Özel opposition leader. The appeals court decided that Özel should be replaced by Kemal Kilicdaroğlu, a 77-year-old party veteran who was defeated by Erdogan in the 2023 presidential election and then voted out as party leader. The ruling also means the party's entire executive is replaced and it is thought the decisions it has made are no longer recognised.

Turkish correspondent Ayşe Sayin said the ruling came as a shock at CHP headquarters, with some members moved to tears. She described tense moments when some party members removed a photo of Kilicdaroğlu from the wall, while others chanted the former leader was a "traitor". via Getty ImagesCrowds formed outside CHP headquarters as the court's decision became clearTurkey's stock market plummeted 6% late on Thursday before recovering some of that ground on Friday morning.

Erdogan has led Turkey since 2003, as prime minister and then as president, and Özel has accused Erdogan's AK party of pursuing a strategy to "eliminate its rivals".

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.