According to news reports, a court in Istanbul on Tuesday annulled the provincial congress of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the country’s main opposition group, citing alleged procedural irregularities. The decision removed provincial chair Özgür Çelik from his post and ordered an interim committee to oversee the branch until a new congress is convened.

The challenge was brought against the CHP’s October 2023 provincial congress, in which Çelik defeated former provincial head Canan Kaftancıoğlu’s preferred candidate. The court accepted claims that payments of cash were made to influence delegates, and that irregularities tainted the internal election process.

Following the ruling, the court appointed veteran CHP figure Gürsel Tekin to lead the Istanbul branch temporarily unt

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