ANKARA : Members of Turkey's main opposition party were locked in a standoff Sunday outside the party headquarters with most members refusing entry to the new court-ordered leadership.

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.

Court ruling removes current CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and reinstates former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu