Turkish court dismisses case challenging main opposition party's congress

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish court on Friday dismissed a case challenging the legitimacy of the main opposition party’s 2023 internal election, ruling that there was no legal basis to remove the current leadership from office.

The lawsuit had sought the annulment of the 38th congress of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, held in November 2023, which saw the ousting of longtime leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, over alleged electoral fraud, including vote-buying and procedural violations.

An annulment could have invalidated current leader Ozgur Ozel ’s chairmanship and seen him replaced by Kilicdaroglu or another “trustee chairman.”

The CHP had firmly denied the accusations of fraud, insisting that the congress had been held according to procedures. Party officials have described the legal action as a politically-motivated attempt by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government to undermine the opposition through judicial pressure.

Critics viewed the case as part of a broader crackdown on the CHP, which made significant gains in last year’s local elections.

CHP-controlled municipalities have faced waves of arrests this year. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who remains in pretrial custody on corruption charges he denies, was among those targeted.

On Friday, prosecutors launched a new investigation into Imamoglu over possible charges of espionage, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Imamoglu's jailed former campaign manager, Necati Ozkan, and journalist Merdan Yanardag, who was detained on Friday, are also under investigation, according to the report.

The investigation was initiated over alleged links to a businessman who was arrested in July, accused of spying on behalf of foreign countries.

Imamoglu is widely seen as a strong potential challenger to Erdogan, and his arrest in March triggered widespread protests.

Erdogan’s government maintains that Turkey’s courts are impartial and free from political interference, insisting that the investigations are solely focused on corruption.