Turkish opposition faces fresh power struggle after resignations

The team of the ousted leader of Turkey's main opposition, Ozgur Ozel, has resigned from the party's assembly, his office said on Thursday, adding that the move should legally trigger an extraordinary congress to re-elect a chairman.

A Turkish court last month annulled the Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2023 congress that elected Ozel as chairman, citing irregularities. It also reinstated to the post Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the CHP's divisive former leader who lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in the 2023 presidential election.

The court's decision, described by critics as politically motivated amid an unprecedented legal crackdown on the CHP, rattled financial markets and fuelled concerns about democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.

Prior to the court ruling, the CHP was running roughly even with Erdogan's Islamic-rooted and conservative ruling AK Party.

The opposition's crisis could boost Erdogan's prospects of extending his more than two-decade rule of NATO-member Turkey in an election scheduled to be held by 2028, but which analysts say could come earlier if the government seeks to take advantage of the CHP strife.

RIVALRY BETWEEN APPOINTED AND OUSTED LEADERS

Kilicdaroglu has said that he would purge the CHP of corruption, referring to cases involving CHP-run municipalities. The ousted leadership denies the graft allegations, saying they amount to a politically motivated and anti-democratic "coup."

The resignations come a day after Kilicdaroglu asked for the expulsion of nine CHP members loyal to Ozel, including four members of the assembly and lawmakers.

Ozel's office said in a statement that 28 of the 57-member assembly had resigned, thus amounting to the fall of the party assembly and legally mandating a congress within 45 days.

Zeynel Emre, a spokesperson for Ozel, said it would now be a crime for the congress not to be convened, as the party assembly and central executive committee no longer have the minimum number of members.

Speaking after Kilicdaroglu chaired a party assembly meeting on Thursday, his spokesman Muslim Sari said the court-appointed CHP leadership had decided to work on a roadmap for a congress, but no date could be set as the court ruling on the annulment was not finalised.

"However, we have at least decided to start work on an ordinary congress process so that the party is not left without a congress and taking into consideration the demands of our colleagues and our party base," Sari told reporters.