ISTANBUL (AP) — Authorities in Istanbul have imposed a temporary ban on public gatherings across several central districts and blockaded the main opposition party’s provincial headquarters, as party supporters prepared to rally on Monday against the controversial appointment of a trustee chairman to oversee its local branch.

Last week, an Istanbul court suspended the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) provincial leadership, citing alleged irregularities in the party’s 2023 congress. The court also appointed Gursel Tekin, a former CHP lawmaker aligned with the party’s old guard, as interim chair. Critics have condemned the move as a politically motivated intervention aimed at weakening the party.

In response, CHP leadership called on supporters to gather at the party’s Istanbul headquarter

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