Turkish opposition re-elects ousted Istanbul provincial head in new congress

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on Wednesday re-elected Ozgur Celik as its Istanbul provincial head, after a court ruling removed him from the post earlier this month over alleged irregularities rejected by the party. 

An Istanbul court had ruled that the votes of delegates in the 2023 CHP provincial congress had been influenced by cash payments, and thus the board members elected at the congress should be removed. The court named former CHP deputy chair Gursel Tekin as interim provincial head.

In response, opposition lawmakers piled tables and chairs at the entrance of the CHP Istanbul headquarters to protest the court ruling, in a barricade standoff with police that marked the latest chapter in a nearly year-long judicial crackdown on CHP members.

Dozens of opposition officials have been arrested or removed from office as part of the crackdown, including President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival and Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.

The government has said the CHP is embroiled in a corruption ring, while the CHP has rejected all accusations against it and said the government has politicised the judiciary. It says the moves are attempts at eliminating electoral threats against the president.

In a post on X after the vote, Celik thanked CHP members who reelected him and said "this congress is not an end, it is a new beginning. As the CHP we are walking towards becoming the ruling party."