Turkey riot police remove ousted CHP leader from Ankara party HQ
Hundreds of riot police have used tear gas and forced entry to remove the ousted leadership of Turkey's main opposition party from its headquarters in Ankara. The operation took place on Sunday after a court order dismissed the party leadership and named an interim replacement. Party members had blocked the building's entrances in defiance of the ruling before officers moved in.
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The court decision issued on Thursday cancelled the 2023 victory of CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and installed former chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu as interim leader, according to the supplied material. The action was carried out by hundreds of Turkish riot police, who used tear gas as they entered the building. The row is linked to an official probe against the Republican People's Party, known as the CHP.
The confrontation is the latest development in a year-long legal crackdown on the opposition party. Human Rights Watch warned on Saturday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government was undermining Turkish democracy with what it called abusive tactics against the CHP. The supplied material also says last year Turkish authorities jailed Erdogan's main political rival, Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who had been the CHP's candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
The incident matters because it involves direct police enforcement at the headquarters of Turkey's largest opposition party, at a time when the party has already faced legal pressure and leadership disputes. The CHP has been central to opposition politics since it won several major cities in the 2019 local elections, including Istanbul, where Imamoglu emerged as a prominent challenger to Erdogan. Any move that affects the party's leadership or access to its headquarters has implications for political organisation, internal authority and the wider balance between the government and its opponents.
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The supplied material says similar scenes took place in Istanbul last year, when the courts named an administrator to take charge of the CHP's regional offices. It also notes that Erdogan has ruled Turkey since 2003, first as prime minister and then as president. That long period in office, combined with the current legal action against the CHP, places the Ankara operation within a broader pattern of confrontation between the government and the opposition.
What remains unclear is whether there were any arrests or injuries during the Ankara operation, and how long police remained inside the building. The supplied rows do not say whether the party has regained access or whether further court action is expected. The next developments to watch are any official response from the authorities, the CHP and the courts, as well as whether the dispute spreads to other party offices or triggers further protests.
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