ANKARA: More than 250 Turkish writers have signed a joint statement condemning what they described as “undemocratic practices” after a court overturned the main opposition party’s 2023 primary, removing its elected leader.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been thrown into turmoil since a May 21 court ruling reinstated former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, in a move critics say is politically motivated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to weaken the opposition.
“The ruling party has once again dealt a blow to our fundamental constitutional rights through a judiciary under its control,” said 262 writers, including prominent authors Asli Erdogan and Buket Uzuner, in a joint declaration released late Saturday.
“As writers in Turkiye, we object to these systematic violations of the law that disregard the will of the people and the right to vote and be elected,” the statement said.
“We say ‘no’ to undemocratic practices targeting our free will, our hope and our sense of justice, and aiming to create a Turkiye without elections,” it added.
The ruling has deepened divisions within the CHP, leaving the party in disarray.
On Saturday, Kilicdaroglu visited the party headquarters in Ankara, which had been stormed by police following the court decision.
Meanwhile, ousted party leader Ozgur Ozel addressed thousands at a rally in the city, calling for an immediate party congress.
He later led supporters in a march to the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkiye.
