By Ece Toksabay and Huseyin HayatseverANKARA, May 22 (Reuters) - Turkey's political opposition dug in on Friday to resist an unprecedented court ruling that ousted its leader and annulled its congress, inflaming a political crisis that critics say aims to further prolong President Tayyip Erdogan's 23-year rule.

A Turkish court has effectively removed the head of the country’s main opposition party by annulling a 2023 congress that elected him.

The ruling marks a major escalation in the legal crackdown on the CHP, which has already been hit by the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, its presidential candidate.