The Guardian view on Erdoğan’s tightening grip on Turkey: the next election is already being decided | Editorial

The removal of an opposition party leader and closure of a liberal university show an authoritarian democracy moving closer to one-man ruleTurkey’s next presidential election is scheduled for 2028. Many think it will come sooner. But by the time ballots are actually cast, the outcome may already have been decided – especially after the last few days.On Thursday, an appeals court removed the head of the opposition Republican People’s party (CHP), Özgür Özel, by its 2023 leadership contest. The 51-year-old was credited with reviving the CHP, which trounced the ruling Justice and Development party in . He was also one of the few senior figures not caught in a sweeping crackdown that has led to hundreds of CHP officials and politicians being arrested. Human Rights Watch says that the justice system against the opposition. A mass corruption trial , with defendants including the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested last year on the day that he was chosen as the CHP’s presidential candidate. He could face a sentence of more than 1,900 years if convicted on all counts.