Türkiye - May 2026

On 21 May, an appeals court annulled the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2023 congress, thereby, overturning the leadership election that had brought Özgür Özel to power and reinstating Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as interim chair. Kılıçdaroğlu had suffered repeated electoral defeats against the ruling President Erdoğan and was defeated by Özel in the 2023 congress. The case centres on prosecutors’ claims that Özel won through vote buying and pressure on delegates, despite an earlier court dismissing the allegations as baseless before the appeal. The CHP denies all charges, calling the intervention an attempted political coup carried out through the judiciary. Riot police later stormed CHP headquarters to remove Özel’s team, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at officials and supporters. The move was widely condemned as politically motivated and indicative of judicial interference in opposition politics, sparking large protests outside Parliament.

Sources: Euronews, Hürriyet, Balkan Insight, Reuters