Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel (CHP).Image: www.imago-images.de
May 21, 2026, 5:18 p.mMay 21, 2026, 5:28 p.m
A court in the Turkish capital Ankara has ordered the removal of the leader of the largest opposition party, the CHP. Özgür Özel and the party leadership will be removed from their positions, as the state news agency Anadolu reported. At the same time, it was ordered that former party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and the party leadership at the time under him temporarily lead the CHP.
The verdict is not yet final.
The lawsuit, which was brought by a former party member, had kept the party in suspense for a long time. The question was whether delegates were bribed to vote for Özel. The CHP party leadership rejected the allegations. The case was initially dismissed in October, but then reopened.
The judiciary has been taking action against the CHP for more than a year; hundreds of its members and many of its mayors have been arrested. At the same time, internal party power struggles are simmering between the camp surrounding party leader Özel and his predecessor Kilicdaroglu.
Erdogan’s rival in custody
Kilicdaroglu was leader of the largest opposition party for more than ten years and was defeated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a runoff in the 2023 elections.
Özel replaced the long-time party leader at the head of the CHP after his defeat and realigned the party. Despite low support within the CHP, Kilicdaroglu was said to have continued ambitions in the party.
The party’s most prominent representative arrested is deposed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – a promising political rival to Erdogan. He has been in custody since March 2025 and is on trial on corruption charges. (sda/dpa)