A court in Turkey annulled the 2023 leadership election of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Thursday, state news agency Anadolu Agency reported, in a sharp escalation against the country's embattled opposition.
The ruling overturns the result of the leadership election that brought in current party head Özgür Özel and ordered that the party's former long-term chair, Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, who lost the election to Özel, take over as interim leader.
In response, the party urged its senior membership to gather at its Ankara headquarters.
The news prompted Istanbul's BIST 100, Turkey's main stock exchange, to fall by more than 6%.
The case concerns allegations of vote buying at the CHP congress in November 2023, with prosecutors alleging that Özel secured his own election through putting pressure on certain delegates with promises of jobs and other kickbacks.
