��������

ANKARA: A Turkish court is expected to rule Monday on whether to annul an internal leadership election of the country’s main opposition party over alleged irregularities, a decision that could restore the party’s unpopular former leader and inflame political tensions.
The court in Ankara is set to deliver its verdict on the legitimacy of the 38th congress of Republican People’s Party, or CHP, held in November 2023, which ousted long-time leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and the election of current chairman Ozgur Ozel.
The case alleges electoral fraud including buying votes and procedural violations. The CHP has denied the accusations, describing the legal action as a politically motivated attempt by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government to undermine the opposition through judicial pressure rather than democratic means.
Erdogan’s government maintains Turkiye’s courts are impartial and free from political interference, insisting investigations into the party are solely focused on corruption.
Critics view the case as part of a broader crackdown on the CHP, which made significant gains in last year’s local elections. They argue the move is designed to weaken the opposition ahead of national elections scheduled for 2028, which could be held earlier.
Municipalities controlled by the CHP have faced waves of arrests this year. Among those targeted is Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who remains in pre-trial custody on corruption charges he denies. Imamoglu is widely seen as a potential challenger to Erdogan and his March arrest triggered widespread protests.
Earlier this month, a court removed the CHP’s elected provincial leadership in Istanbul and appointed an interim chairman to oversee the local branch. Police escorted the court-appointed official to the party’s Istanbul headquarters, using pepper spray to disperse party members and supporters who resisted his arrival.
If the congress is annulled, the court could appoint trustees to oversee the party or reinstate Kilicdaroglu as chairman, a move likely to deepen internal divisions.
Kilicdaroglu has signaled his willingness to return to leadership but observers note he remains deeply unpopular among CHP supporters after a string of electoral defeats against Erdogan.

DOHA: Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Sunday criticized Israel and warned that “silence in the face of a crime ... paves the way for more crimes.”
Speaking at a preparatory meeting on the eve of an emergency summit of Arab and Islamic leaders in Doha, Aboul Gheit said  that the summit itself sends a powerful message: “Qatar is not alone. The Arab and Islamic worlds stand beside it.”
He warned that Israel’s actions are “the direct outcome of two years of international silence on the genocide in Gaza, which has emboldened the occupiers to act without consequence.”
Qatar organized the summit after Israel carried out an unprecedented air strike targeting the residences of several Hamas officials in Doha on Sept. 9, 2025.
According to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed Al-Ansari, Monday’s meeting of Arab and Islamic leaders will consider “a draft resolution on the Israeli attack on the state of Qatar.”
Speaking during the same preparatory meeting, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani urged the international community to “stop using double standards” and punish Israel for what he described as its “crimes.”
“The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed, and Israel needs to know that the ongoing war of extermination that our brotherly Palestinian people is being subjected to, and whose aim is to expel them from their land, will not work,” said Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as foreign minister.
Although the Israeli strike, which killed six people, missed the Hamas peace negotiators who were its real targets, the brazen act  represented “an attack on the principle of mediation itself.”
The attack “can only be described as state terrorism, an approach pursued by the current extremist Israeli government, which flouts international law,” Sheikh Mohammed said. 
“The reckless and treacherous Israeli aggression was committed while the state of Qatar was hosting official and public negotiations, with the knowledge of the Israeli side itself, and with the aim of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.
Ahead of the summit, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held phone consultations with his counterparts in ��������, Turkiye, and Pakistan.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the talks focused on assessing the crisis and “exploring ways to confront the severe political and security challenges facing the region.”
The ministers emphasized the need for Arab-Islamic unity and for sustained coordination across political, diplomatic, and economic fields to safeguard common interests and stabilize the region.
Among the leaders attending will be Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas arrived in Doha on Sunday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also expected to attend, Turkish media reported.