Turkish police ordered to evict ousted opposition leadership from headquarters

Published 24 May, 2026 02:50pm 1 min read

Turkish authorities ordered police to evict the leadership of the main opposition Republican ​People’s Party (CHP) from their headquarters on Sunday, ‌enforcing a court ruling that reinstated the former leader and fuelled a political crisis.

Riot police and crowds ​gathered outside the gates of CHP headquarters ​in the Turkish capital after the Ankara ⁠governor’s office issued the order to remove CHP ​members aligned with ousted leader Ozgur Ozel.

A Turkish ​appeals court on Thursday annulled the results of a CHP congress at which Ozel was elected in 2023, ​citing unspecified irregularities.

In Ozel’s place, the ​court reinstated former CHP Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to ‌President ⁠Tayyip Erdogan in elections earlier that year.

Ozel called on Saturday for a new party congress to be held as soon as possible, while ​Kilicdaroglu has said ​that ⁠a congress would be held at an “appropriate” time.

The ousted CHP leadership under ​Ozel has condemned the court ruling ​as a “judicial ⁠coup” and Ozel promised to fight it through legal appeals and to remain “day and night” in the ⁠party’s ​Ankara headquarters.

CHP lawmakers on ​Saturday elected Ozel as leader of the party’s parliamentary group.

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