ANKARA: Turkish riot police fired tear gas and broke through the gates of the main opposition party’s headquarters to evict its ousted leadership on Sunday, a Reuters witness said.
An appeals court on Thursday ousted Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel, annulling the results of the CHP congress where he was elected in 2023, citing irregularities.
The court reinstated in his place former CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in a national election that year.
Ozel called on Saturday for a new party congress to be held as soon as possible while Kilicdaroglu has said that a congress would be held at an “appropriate” time. The ousted CHP leadership under Ozel has condemned the court ruling as a “judicial coup” and Ozel promised to fight it through legal appeals and to remain “day and night” in the party’s Ankara headquarters.
CHP lawmakers on Saturday elected Ozel as leader of the party’s parliamentary group.
