Politics Expert: Turkey is moving closer to a Russian-style system
With the removal of Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel by court decision, Turkey is moving ever closer to a Russian-style system, according to one expert. A system "in which the ruler determines who the opposition will be and ensures that no real surprises are possible at the ballot box," said Gönül Tol, Director of the Turkey Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, in an analysis.
23.05.2026, 13:26
SDA
However, there is a clear difference to Russia: Turkey does not have a wealth of oil and gas to cushion economic shocks, for example, but is deeply dependent on foreign investment - largely from Europe.
Focus on the party congress three years ago
She saw the court decision as clearly politically motivated and as the "latest step in a broad-based campaign" by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to weaken the opposition. Erdogan is aware that he can no longer win elections under free and fair conditions, said Tol.
On Thursday, a court in Ankara declared the 2023 party congress, at which Özel had been elected chairman, invalid due to alleged irregularities. It also ordered the removal of Özel and the party leadership.
Former party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was defeated by Erdogan in the elections three years ago, is to lead the party for the time being. Kilicdaroglu was CHP chairman for more than ten years and is regarded as a colorless and unsuccessful politician with little support within his party.
HRW: Elimination of a political force
The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) described Özel's dismissal as a "serious blow to the rule of law, democracy and human rights in Turkey."
Following the imprisonment of former Istanbul mayor and Erdogan rival Ekrem Imamoglu a year ago as well as other CHP politicians on "false charges", it is clear "that the Turkish authorities want to eliminate the current leadership of the CHP as a serious political force", said Benjamin Ward, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at HRW.
The court decision to annul the party congress also represents a "highly unusual interference" in the internal electoral processes of a political party and in the election of its leadership.
