Turkish police on Sunday stormed the headquarters of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party in Ankara, deploying tear gas and rubber bullets as they clashed with supporters and party officials gathered outside the building.
The confrontation marked a dramatic escalation in a standoff that had lasted several hours between CHP members and a court-appointed leadership team attempting to take control of the party premises.
Footage from local broadcasters in the capital Ankara showed dense clouds of tear gas as riot police forced their way into the headquarters compound.
The unrest follows an appeals court decision on Thursday that annulled the November 2023 election of Özgür Özel as party leader, ordering that he be replaced by his predecessor Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the CHP for 13 years without securing a national election victory.
Özel, who took over leadership in his first party election, had earlier overseen a major setback for President Justice and Development Party and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2024 municipal elections.
Riot police fire tear gas as they enter to the main entrance of the party’s headquarters in Ankara.
Opposition figures argue the court ruling is politically driven, aimed at weakening the CHP amid a series of legal actions targeting its members and elected officials.
Although the next presidential election is scheduled for 2028, it could be brought forward by Erdoğan. One of his key challengers, CHP member and Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, has been in prison since March last year and is awaiting trial on corruption charges.
Critics say the wave of legal cases against the CHP, largely focused on corruption allegations, is intended to undermine the opposition ahead of future elections, while the government maintains that the judiciary operates independently and without political influence.
Most of the party has continued to back Özel, with senior figures and supporters occupying the headquarters in Ankara since the court ruling prevented the new leadership from taking control. Rival factions had been expected to meet on Sunday to resolve the crisis.
Local media reports said crowds gathered outside the building, which Özel’s camp claimed included non-party members brought in to intimidate officials.
Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu’s lawyer reportedly requested assistance from Ankara police to clear the premises, a move later approved by the Ankara Governor’s office.
