Turkish riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into the main opposition party’s headquarters to evict its ousted leadership on Sunday, fuelling a crisis at the heart of Turkey’s democracy.
Clouds of tear gas billowed within the Republican People’s Party (CHP) building while those inside shouted and threw objects at the entrance as police broke through a makeshift barricade. There were no reports of injuries during the intervention.
A Turkish court ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel on Thursday, annulling the results of the CHP Congress where he was elected in 2023, citing irregularities. On Sunday, Ankara’s governor ordered the eviction of those inside the headquarters.
The court reinstated in Ozel’s place former CHP chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in a national election that year.
Analysts have said they view the court ruling as a test of the balance between democracy and autocracy for Nato member Turkey and that it could prolong Erdogan’s 23-year rule. Financial markets tumbled on Thursday as investors fretted about democratic backsliding, before rebounding on Friday.
“We are under attack,” Ozel said in a video message shared on social media as the security forces entered, before emerging from the building after the police intervention, vowing that the CHP would from now on be “on the streets, in the squares, marching towards power”.
He then led supporters on a march to the Turkish parliament, where he made a speech to thousands, who chanted “Traitor Kemal,” “Son of the palace, Kilicdaroglu” and “Shoulder-to-shoulder against fascists”.
