Police storm CHP headquarters after leadership ouster
Police today stormed the headquarters of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) in Ankara following a court decision ousting the party's leadership.
Police entered the building by cutting through doors with buzzsaws and tearing down makeshift barricades set up by party members. Tear gas and rubber bullets were fired inside as videos showed the area filled with smoke.
#MutlakButlan |🔴CHP Genel Merkezi'ne girmeye çalışan polislere içerideki bir partili yangın tüpü ile müdahale etti. pic.twitter.com/4DxfdZdSkc
— bianet (@bianet_org) May 24, 2026
The party leadership, members, and supporters had been inside the headquarters since May 21, when the court decision was issued.
According to media reports, the ousted leader, Özgür Özel, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader reinstated by the court, spoke to discuss a transition but failed to reach an agreement. The ousted leadership refused to leave the headquarters. Following this, Kılıçdaroğlu applied to the authorities to request that police enter the headquarters, according to a statement from the Governor's Office of Ankara.
🔴 CHP lideri Özel ve partililer, Genel Merkez binasından ayrılıp Meclis'e doğru yürüyüşe geçti. Polis müdahalesinin ardından bina içinden görüntüler.
— bianet (@bianet_org) May 24, 2026
📹 Video: @kepenekevrimm pic.twitter.com/yi5ZyWzjXv
Özel released a video from inside the headquarters during the incident, where he said, "Our crime was making the CHP the first party of Turkey," in reference to the party's victory in the 2024 local elections.
After police stormed the building, Özel and party executives ledt the building and started marching to the parliament.
The party is also organizing protests in various cities including İstanbul.
Bahçeli calls for settlement between CHP factions after court ousts leadership
Özel had defeated Kılıçdaroğlu at a congress in Nov 2023, ending his 14-year tenure as the party leader. The faction that lost the election subsequently filed complaints, alleging that delegates were compromised during the election through vote-buying and promises of internal party positions. On May 21, the court ruled that the congress was an "absolute nullity" due to irregularities.
Background
The case traces back to a shift in the leadership of the CHP following the 2023 presidential and parliamentary election, where Recep Tayyip Erdoğan secured his third term as the president.
Kılıçdaroğlu was held responsible within the party for the defeat, after running and losing against Erdoğan in what was widely seen as the most challenging election for him in two decades amid deepening economic troubles.
Following the election loss, İstanbul's now-suspended mayor and a prominent figure in the party, Ekrem İmamoğlu, launched a “change” movement within the party, opposing Kılıçdaroğlu’s continued leadership. Özgür Özel, backed by İmamoğlu, defeated Kılıçdaroğlu at the Nov 2023 congress, becoming the party’s first new leader in 14 years.
Members of the faction that lost control of the party challenged the congress results, alleging irregularities such as buying delegates' votes with cash and party posts. In Feb 2025, an investigation was opened into the congress. Separately, İmamoğlu was arrested in Mar 2025 on corruption-related charges and suspended from office.
Turkey's main opposition party investigated over vote buying allegations during congress
Annulment cases filed by various members of the party were merged into a single file at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance on Feb 14, 2025, and the court held the first hearing on Apr 17, 2025.
There were two dimensions to the case, with one focusing on the criminal elements and the other on the procedural aspects of the party congress. Regarding the criminal aspect, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office indicted 12 individuals, including İmamoğlu, for rigging a vote on Jun 3, 2025, seeking prison sentences from one to three years.
On Oct 24, 2025, the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance ruled that there was no need to render a judgment on the merits regarding the case, on the grounds that the case had become moot. The court also dismissed the merged files, which included the request for the annulment of the Sep 2025 extraordinary congress, due to a lack of hostility. In the 22-page reasoned decision announced on Nov 10, 2025, the court noted that party organs were re-elected at the new congresses and conventions, and that these elections were certified by district election boards, therefore no legal interest remained regarding the old congresses whose annulment was sought.
The decision was subsequently appealed. Examining the file, the Ankara Regional Court of Justice 36th Civil Chamber today ordered the temporary removal of Özel and the party administration, and ruled that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his executive team take over the leadership.
(VK)
