Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), said on Thursday it had appealed against a court ruling removing party leader Özgür Özel from his post.
Özel told reporters in Ankara that the party had filed a complaint with the Supreme Court and would also appeal to the election authority, calling the move unlawful.
A court in Ankara earlier ordered the removal of Özel and the current party from their positions, state news agency Anadolu reported. The court ruled that the 2023 party congress, during which Özel was elected chairman, was invalid.
This also renders all subsequent ordinary and extraordinary party congresses and their resolutions invalid, according to Anadolu. The court ordered that former CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the party's previous leadership temporarily take over the party's administration. The verdict is not yet final.
Özel described the ruling as politically motivated and called it "a black day for democracy."
"This war was not launched against us, but against the people. This coup was not carried out against us, but against the people," he said.
Özel added that he and fellow party members would remain at CHP headquarters in Ankara for now. "From now on, we are here day and night," Özel said. Supporters gathered outside the party headquarters in the Turkish capital on Thursday evening.
The pro-Kurdish DEM Party criticized the decision, saying the judiciary must not be used as a tool to reshape the political landscape and mould the opposition. The will of the voters must not be overridden, the party said. Other smaller opposition parties also criticized the ruling.
Bribed to vote?
The issue at stake is whether delegates were bribed to vote for Özel during the CHP leadership contest in November 2023. The case, brought by a former party member, has weighed on the party for years.
Özel called an extraordinary meeting in Ankara. According to the newspaper Cumhuriyet, CHP supporters were urged via text message to gather outside the party headquarters in the Turkish capital. The police are reported to have erected barricades.
The CHP leadership has denied the accusations. The case was dismissed in October before later being reopened.
Turkey's judiciary has been intensifying pressure on the CHP for more than a year, with hundreds of party members and numerous mayors detained. At the same time, internal power struggles have simmered between supporters of Özel and of his predecessor Kılıçdaroğlu.
Kılıçdaroğlu led the CHP for more than a decade before unsuccessfully challenging long-serving President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2023 presidential election.
Özel was chosen to replace Kılıçdaroğlu after the election defeat and sought to reposition the party.
CHP provincial chairman: 'Turkey will not bow to this tyranny'
The most prominent CHP figure detained so far is former Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, regarded as one of Erdoğan’s most serious political rivals. İmamoğlu, on trial on corruption charges, has been held in pre-trial detention since March 2025.
Özgür Celik, the CHP provincial chairman for Istanbul, also described the court ruling as politically motivated.
"They want to destroy the republic, suspend democracy and deprive the people of their right to vote," he wrote on X, referring to the government. The Turkish people would not allow this to happen. "Turkey will not bow to this tyranny," he wrote.
"It is a dark day in the history of Turkey," political scientist Berk Esen wrote. An attempt is being made through legal channels to transform the largest opposition party, the CHP, in an unprecedented manner.
Erdoğan has been in power for more than 20 years. Since the introduction of a presidential system in 2018, he has held far-reaching powers and significant influence over the appointment of judges and prosecutors.
The next regular elections are due in 2028. According to the constitution, Erdoğan may only stand as a candidate again in the event of a snap election. However, he is seeking a constitutional amendment.
