A court in Ankara has dismissed a corruption case that sought to unseat the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), saying it had no substance. The case against Ozgur Ozel, which focused on alleged vote-buying at the CHP primary in November 2023, was rejected as "moot" by a judge at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance.
A lawyer for the party welcomed the result. "This decision was in accordance with the law," said Caglar Caglayan, speaking to reporters. "We've been saying these cases need to be removed from our country's agenda. As of today, I hope this will happen. Politics will also return to its normal course."
Although the case was officially brought by a CHP faction that lost the leadership elections, it was widely seen as part of a government crackdown on the opposition party, which has also seen the arrest and suspension of CHP Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
At an extraordinary congress on September 21, the CHP re-elected Ozel, reaffirming his legitimacy, a fact cited by the judge in dismissing the case.
Onur Yusuf Uregen, lawyer for the plaintiffs, told reporters that they would be filing an appeal against the ruling. "We weren't expecting the case to be dismissed, it was a surprise," he said.
Had Ozel been removed, he would have been replaced by a court-appointed trustee, similar to many other local opposition politicians across the country, particularly those associated with pro-Kurdish parties.
Stocks rallied following the news Friday, while the lira rose after weakening to a record low earlier in the day.
The CHP, Turkey's largest opposition party, has accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of targeting it after its widespread success in the 2024 local elections.
Imamoglu, a popular opposition leader and upcoming presidential candidate who could potentially challenge Erdogan, was arrested on 19 March.
A number of other CHP mayors, officials and politicians have also been swept up in arrests since then. The arrests have sparked regular street protests and rallies by opposition leaders and activists, including those unaffiliated with the CHP. Authorities have responded by detaining nearly 2,000 people, most of whom were later released.
Imamoglu's arrest has galvanized a wide cross-section of Turkish society, who see it as perhaps the final nail in the coffin of an already fragile democracy.
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