Turkish Police Disperse Izmir CHP Rally With Tear Gas After Court Voids Ozel's 2023 Election
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · May 27
Turkish Police Disperse Izmir CHP Rally With Tear Gas After Court Voids Ozel's 2023 Election
6 articles · Updated · DW (English) · May 27
Riot police in Izmir fired tear gas and water cannons Tuesday to break up a rally called by ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel, after authorities closed Cumhuriyet Square ahead of the gathering.
The protest was triggered by an appeals court ruling last week that nullified Ozel's 2023 election as CHP chair, suspended him and the party executive board, and reinstated former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
The crowd later moved to a nearby site and continued peacefully, with supporters chanting for Ozel as he addressed them from a bus in the opposition stronghold.
The clash followed another escalation days earlier in Ankara, where police stormed CHP headquarters with tear gas and removed journalists to hand control to court-appointed leadership.
The turmoil deepens pressure on Turkey's main opposition after the CHP's 2024 local-election gains over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP.
A leader ousted, a star mayor jailed. Can Turkey's fractured opposition survive this 'judicial coup'?
With Turkey's opposition in chaos, is an early election now President Erdoğan's path to victory?
Did a court simply correct a flawed party election, or did it execute a political takeover?
Judicial Coup in Türkiye: The 2026 Ousting of Özgür Özel, CHP Crisis, and Erdoğan’s Consolidation of Power
Overview
On May 21, 2026, an Ankara appeals court annulled the Republican People’s Party (CHP)'s 2023 congress, removing Özgür Özel as party leader and dissolving the entire CHP leadership. The ousted leaders condemned this as a 'judicial coup,' while Human Rights Watch described it as part of President Erdoğan’s broader strategy to sideline the main opposition, undermining civil rights and Türkiye’s democratic process. This move follows a pattern of targeting opposition figures, including the jailing of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, highlighting a systematic effort to weaken political opposition and consolidate power.