Police raided the headquarters of Turkey's main opposition party, the People's Republican Party (CHP), using tear gas and rubber bullets against supporters and representatives of the CHP who had taken refuge in the building for three days. This was reported on Sunday, May 24, by AP and CNN Türk.
CHP supporters initially tried to resist the police by using fire extinguishers, but their actions were quickly suppressed. As a result of the storming, doors and windows on the first floor were smashed, causing damage to the furniture.
Earlier this week, Turkey's appellate court deemed the results of the 38th CHP congress in November 2023 "completely invalid," where Ozgur Ozel was elected party leader. Instead, the court temporarily reinstated former chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu. He was the main opposition candidate in the spring 2023 presidential elections, where he lost in the second round to the current head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Thousands gathered for a protest in Ankara
Ozel, who has been removed from office, called for a demonstration in front of the party headquarters in Ankara. As a result, several thousand protesters took to the streets to oppose the court's decision, reported dpa.
Ozgur Ozel addressed the crowd, stating that this is not about the CHP, but about protecting democracy, a multiparty system, and the people's right to make their own decisions.
Istanbul Prosecutor's Office: 13 individuals detained
Meanwhile, as reported by Reuters, police detained 13 individuals as part of an investigation related to the 2023 congress.
According to the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office, 13 suspects were detained across seven provinces on charges of interfering with the voting of delegates, Anadolu reported.
Ozel's re-election
Ozgur Ozel was re-elected as the leader of the People's Republican Party at its extraordinary congress on September 21, 2025. All 835 votes recognized as valid were cast for him.
The party believed that the re-election should eliminate the legal grounds for a lawsuit against it. "Our legal experts are taking the most appropriate measures against this. With this congress, all their (the prosecution's - Ed.) arguments (of a legal nature - Ed.) are eliminated," AFP quoted Ozgur Ozel's words. He characterized the recent vote as a "purely technical and legal maneuver."
Ozel's removal from office could impact the timeline for Turkey's presidential elections in 2028 and cause shake-ups in the country's main opposition party, previously noted by Reuters.