Turkish Police Storm CHP Headquarters, Firing Tear Gas After Court Voids 2023 Ozel Election
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 24
Turkish Police Storm CHP Headquarters, Firing Tear Gas After Court Voids 2023 Ozel Election
9 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 24
Riot police stormed the CHP’s Ankara headquarters on Sunday, using tear gas and rubber bullets to end a three-day standoff with supporters of ousted chair Ozgur Ozel.
The raid followed an appeals court ruling Thursday that annulled Ozel’s November 2023 election, suspended the party executive and reinstated former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu after his lawyer sought police help to clear the building.
Ozel, who had remained inside with most of the party leadership, left to cheers and began a 5-kilometer march toward parliament, vowing to reclaim the headquarters.
The CHP says the ruling is politically motivated and part of wider legal pressure on the opposition, while the government says Turkey’s courts act independently.
The clash deepens a power struggle inside Erdogan’s main rival party as attention turns to a possible early presidential vote before the scheduled 2028 election.
Is this court ruling Erdoğan's endgame to crush Turkey's main opposition after its historic election victories?
With political turmoil tanking the lira, is another massive interest rate hike now inevitable for Turkey?