Video: watson/nina bürge
Tensions are increasing in the capital Ankara following the judicial dismissal of the head of Turkey’s largest opposition party, the CHP. An overview.
May 24, 2026, 12:23 p.mMay 24, 2026, 3:46 p.m
Thick clouds of smoke hang in the building.Image: sc/twitter
In the afternoon, the police used tear gas to break into the CHP headquarters, where deposed chairman Özgür Özel had barricaded himself with members of parliament. She broke through barricades, as could be seen in images from Halk TV.
Rubber bullets were also fired. The situation was chaotic at times. Thick clouds of smoke hung in the building. Özel initially holed up in his office on the 12th floor, but then left the building to applause from his supporters.
“From now on, the Republican People’s Party CHP is on the streets, in the squares and on the way to power,” said Özel. He then marched to the parliament building surrounded by CHP MPs and supporters.
The Ankara governor’s office had previously ordered the eviction and said it was implementing the court ruling that provisionally reinstalled former party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu as party leader.
Video: watson/nina bürge
Party conference in focus
On Thursday, a court in Ankara retroactively declared the 2023 party conference, at which Özel was elected CHP chairman, invalid and deposed Özel. The question is whether delegates were bribed to vote for Özel. The proceedings were initiated by a former party member. It was initially rejected in October and then reopened.
The CHP party leadership rejects the allegations and appealed to the Supreme Court. She also argues that the electoral authority and not a court should actually decide whether votes at party conferences were legal.
The court provisionally appointed Özel’s controversial predecessor Kilicdaroglu as CHP party leader. This sparked protests in the capital Ankara and other cities.
Kilicdaroglu lost to Erdogan
The verdict is seen as a serious blow to President Erdogan’s political opponents and could ultimately result in the dismantling of the CHP – the country’s founding party.
Observers consider the decision to be unconstitutional and see it as politically motivated. The government, on the other hand, emphasizes the independence of the judiciary.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu during his 2023 election campaign.Image: keystone
The 77-year-old Kilicdaroglu was chairman of the secular-oriented CHP for more than ten years. He lost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the election three years ago – and then to Özel in the fight for the party leadership.
Kilicdaroglu, once a beacon of hope, quickly lost support after his defeat, especially among the population. After the court ruling, he was sometimes insulted as a “traitor” at demonstrations and on social media. He is considered a weak politician and therefore Erdogan’s preferred opponent.
Özel led the party to success
The president himself has not yet commented on the events, but in the past he has portrayed the proceedings as an internal CHP conflict.
Özgur Özel.Image: keystone
Under the leadership of 51-year-old Özel, the CHP achieved a surprising success in the 2024 local elections and won the most mayoral offices in the country. Since then, numerous opposition mayors have been arrested in terrorism and corruption investigations, including former Istanbul mayor and Erdogan rival Ekrem Imamoglu. This sparked mass protests.
Far-reaching consequences for the opposition in the country
The EU had sharply criticized the court decision and other measures against opposition politicians, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) expressed concern, also with a view to the country’s desired EU membership.
According to Turkey expert Gönül Tol, Turkey is moving ever closer to a Russian-style system in which the ruler determines the opposition. Erdogan is aware that he can no longer win elections under free and fair conditions.
He also benefits from an international environment in which Turkey has gained strategic importance against the backdrop of the wars in Iran and Ukraine. Criticism, especially from a US government under Donald Trump, is hardly to be feared. (sda/dpa)