Riot police in Turkey have fired teargas and water cannon to break up a rally called by the ousted opposition leader Özgür Özel, days after a court dismissed him from office. The protest took place in İzmir on Tuesday, as thousands of demonstrators gathered to show support for Özel and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Background of the Crisis
A shock court ruling last Thursday overturned a 2023 party primary that elected Özel as CHP leader. This decision is the latest in a series of moves against the CHP, Turkey's oldest political party, which scored a significant win over President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ruling AKP in the 2024 local elections and has been rising in the polls. The ruling ordered Özel's defeated rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, to resume his position as CHP leader, plunging the party into chaos.
Rally and Police Response
Özel called the lunchtime rally in İzmir as Turkey was poised to shut down for the four-day Eid al-Fitr holiday. Ahead of the rally, the governorate ordered the closure of the city's central Cumhuriyet Square and deployed a large number of riot police with water cannon trucks. Police used water cannon and teargas to disperse the flag-waving crowd, who chanted "President Özgür, free Turkey!" in scenes broadcast live on TV.
Özel addressed the crowd from the top of a bus, urging Kılıçdaroğlu to agree to a party congress immediately so members could choose their leader. "Bring whoever you want as a delegate and let's compete," he said, challenging Kılıçdaroğlu to hold a party primary within a week or two after Eid al-Fitr.
Political Implications
Özel stated that the ousting of CHP's elected leadership was not an internal matter for the party. "Anyone who sees it that way is deceiving the people ... this is between the people and Erdoğan," he said. "The issue is about stopping a party that is on the march towards ultimate power."
The court case concerned allegations of vote-buying in the 2023 primary. It was thrown out by an Ankara court in October for lack of substance, only to be overturned on appeal. The assault on the CHP began in earnest with the jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Erdoğan's main political rival and the party's presidential candidate, on charges widely seen as political.
On Sunday, Özel said: "Erdoğan has lost all restraint. Just as he imprisoned the presidential candidate who could defeat him, he is now effectively shutting down the political party that could defeat him. Turkey has ceased to be a modern democratic republic and has turned into a one-man regime."
