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2h ago

Turkish Court Reinstates Kilicdaroglu as Police Remove Özgür Özel from CHP Headquarters

The ruling has fractured Turkey’s main opposition, undermining party unity and weakening its capacity to mount a cohesive challenge in future national contests.

Ozgur Ozel, the ousted chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), accompanied by Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas and supporters, visits the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey, May 30, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz
Ozgur Ozel, the ousted chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and his supporters visit the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey, May 30, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz
A person waves a flag of Turkey featuring a picture of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as supporters of Ozgur Ozel, the ousted chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), visit the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Ankara, Turkey, May 30, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz

Overview

  • A court ruling on May 21 annulled the CHP’s 2023 leadership primary and restored former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, saying the earlier vote had irregularities.
  • Riot police enforced the court order at the CHP headquarters in Ankara, using tear gas and pepper spray to remove Özgür Özel and his supporters from the building.
  • Özgür Özel has rejected the decision, led mass rallies and demanded an immediate elected congress while Kılıçdaroğlu visited party HQ and pledged to hold a ballot-boxed congress soon.
  • Reports say legal pressure is continuing, including detentions of party members and unverified claims that Özel’s parliamentary immunity could be stripped, with appeals and counterlegal moves already under way.
  • The dispute follows the CHP’s strong showing in the 2024 local elections and has analysts warning the split will weaken the party organisationally and could reshape Turkey’s opposition landscape ahead of the next national vote.