Turkey’s main opposition party has announced it will hold an extraordinary congress on September 21 after a court ousted its Istanbul leadership on graft allegations, party officials said on Saturday.

The decision comes amid growing political pressure on the Republican People’s Party (CHP) after a court this week annulled the outcome of its Istanbul provincial congress in October 2023, throwing out its leader Ozgur Celik and 195 others.

More than 900 CHP delegates on Friday submitted a petition to a local election board in the capital Ankara to authorise the congress, a party source told AFP.

The congress is expected to shape the party’s strategy as it faces legal uncertainty.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel described the move as “entirely a technical and legal manouevre” in case a court deliver

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