Turkish Writers Condemn Court Ruling Against Main Opposition Party

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Ankara: More than 250 Turkish writers have condemned a court judgement that removed the elected leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) as a ‘undemocratic’ attack on the country's political system.

262 authors, many of them are well-known, signed a unified declaration stating that the decision ignored voter and party preferences. The court considered the CHP's 2023 leadership election invalid. Current chairman Özgür Özel was removed, but former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was reinstated.

The writers accused the judiciary of interfering in democratic processes and expressed concerns that the action could further weaken public trust in Turkey's systems. They argued that political disputes should be resolved through elections and party procedures rather than by the judiciary.

The decision has drawn criticism from civil society groups and opposition parties, and thousands of CHP supporters have protested in Ankara and other cities. Others noticed the judgement as part of widespread pressure on the opposition, while the government argues that the court complied with the law on alleged irregularities in the party's leadership vote.