An ongoing court case that threatens to remove the leadership of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been delayed until October 24.

The case concerns a November 2023 party congress that saw the election of current party leader Özgür Özel, who replaced longtime chairman and former presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Prosecutors representing plaintiffs from Kılıçdaroğlu’s wing of the party have alleged irregularities in the election process and that votes for Özel were bought in exchange for bribes.

The Monday morning (September 15) decision to delay the court case was announced around 11:00 local time.

Critics and opposition leaders argue the case is an attempt to defang Turkey’s largest opposition party and replace its leadership with a government trustee amidst months of increasing legal pressure on the CHP, which has seen the removal of the party’s Istanbul leadership, the arrest of Istanbul mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, and

© Medyascope