Police storm headquarters of Turkey's main opposition party 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.
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. (VK)
