FILE - Republican People's Party or (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech during a CHP convention, in Ankara, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Ali Unal, File)
FSANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish court on Friday dismissed a case challenging the legitimacy of the main opposition party’s 2023 internal election, ruling that there was no legal basis to remove the current leadership from office.
The lawsuit had sought the annulment of the 38th congress of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, held in November 2023, which saw the ousting of longtime leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, over alleged electoral fraud, including vote-buying and procedural violations.
An annulment could have invalidated current leader ’s chairmanship and seen him replaced by Kilicdaroglu or another “trustee chairman.â€
The CHP had firmly denied the accusations of fraud, insisting that the congress had been held according to procedures. Party officials have described the legal action as a politically-motivated attempt by President government to .
Critics viewed the case as part of a broader crackdown on the CHP, which made significant gains in last year’s local elections.
CHP-controlled municipalities have faced waves of arrests this year. Istanbul Mayor , who remains in pretrial custody on corruption charges he denies, was among those targeted.
On Friday, prosecutors launched a new investigation into Imamoglu over possible charges of espionage, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Imamoglu's jailed former campaign manager, Necati Ozkan, and journalist Merdan Yanardag, who was detained on Friday, are also under investigation, according to the report.
The investigation was initiated over alleged links to a businessman who was arrested in July, accused of spying on behalf of foreign countries.
Imamoglu is widely seen as a strong potential challenger to Erdogan, and his arrest in March .
Erdogan’s government maintains that Turkey’s courts are impartial and free from political interference, insisting that the investigations are solely focused on corruption.
The ºÃÉ«tv Press. All rights reserved.
It’s a little-known fact that Canada’s credit unions are among the country’s stron…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
