ANKARA: Turkish riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into the main opposition party’s headquarters to evict its ousted leadership on Sunday (May 24), 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.

TEST OF TURKISH DEMOCRACY

The court reinstated in Ozel’s place former CHP chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in a national election that year.

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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 X 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 6 km (4 miles) away, where he made a speech to thousands, who chanted “Traitor Kemal,” “Son of the palace, Kilicdaroglu,” and “Shoulder-to-shoulder against fascists.”

“Until this struggle frees the party from occupation, our headquarters is here,” Ozel told the crowd before entering the assembly. CHP lawmakers on Saturday elected him as leader of the party’s parliamentary group.

As he spoke, one TV channel showed members of Kilicdaroglu’s team sitting in an office in CHP headquarters, but the reinstated leader was reported to be at home and was yet to make a statement on the situation.

The CHP’s ousted leadership called on its supporters to protest in three locations in Turkey‘s largest city of Istanbul on Sunday evening.

OUSTED LEADERS DECRY ‘JUDICIAL COUP’

The ousted CHP leadership under Ozel has condemned the court ruling as a “judicial coup” and Ozel had promised to fight it through legal appeals and to remain “day and night” at the Ankara headquarters.

Ozel called on Saturday for a new party congress to be held as soon as possible, while Kilicdaroglu has said a congress would be held at an “appropriate” time.

Turkey‘s next national election is set for 2028, but would need to be brought forward if Erdogan, at age 72 and facing a term limit, wants to run again. The court ruling raises the chances of an early vote, analysts said.

The government, meanwhile, denies criticism that it uses courts to target political rivals, saying the judiciary is independent.

State media said on Saturday that Turkish police had detained 13 people under an investigation into the 2023 congress. They face charges of violating the law on political parties, accepting bribes and laundering assets derived from crime.