Clouds of tear gas filled the corridors of Turkey’s main opposition party headquarters on Sunday morning. Riot police broke through makeshift barricades at the Republican People’s Party (CHP) building in Ankara, firing rubber bullets and tear gas at supporters who had occupied the premises for three days. Furniture was smashed. Windows were shattered. Journalists were ordered out.

The raid, ordered by the Ankara governor’s office at the request of Kılıçdaroğlu’s lawyer, marks an extraordinary escalation in President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long-running campaign against Turkey’s largest opposition force — one that has accelerated with methodical precision over the past 14 months.

A Court Order, a Party Overturned

On Thursday, an Ankara appeals court nullified the November 2023 party congress that elected Özgür Özel as CHP chairman, removing him and the entire executive board. The court reinstated 77-year-old Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the party for 13 years without winning a national election and was defeated by Erdoğan in the 2023 presidential race.

The ruling cited alleged irregularities in the 2023 congress — accusations from a handful of party members who claimed vote-buying but, according to Human Rights Watch, “provided no concrete evidence.” A lower court had already dismissed the case in October 2025, noting that Özel was re-elected at two subsequent party congresses. The appeals court overturned that ruling without citing evidence to justify its decision, HRW said.

From Ballot Box to Prison Cell

The headquarters raid did not happen in isolation. The legal campaign against the CHP gathered force after the party’s watershed performance in the March 2024 local elections, when it won 37.8 percent of the national vote against the AKP’s 35.5 percent — the first time Erdoğan’s party had lost its lead in 22 years.

Erdoğan first publicly questioned Özel’s election in October 2024 speeches. By February 2025, the Ankara public prosecutor had opened a formal investigation. In March 2025, İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu — a CHP member widely seen as Erdoğan’s most credible presidential challenger — was imprisoned on corruption charges. HRW has described those charges as politically motivated. In a separate criminal case alleging İmamoğlu and others paid delegates to vote for Özel at the 2023 party congress, HRW noted that the indictment relies on “vague assertions without demonstrable evidence of criminal wrongdoing.” Several other CHP mayors and officials face similar proceedings.

Turkey’s government denies using the courts against political rivals and insists the judiciary operates independently. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said the appeals court ruling “reinforces our citizens’ trust in democracy,” according to the BBC. Gürlek’s appointment as justice minister in February 2026 came directly from his previous role as İstanbul chief public prosecutor — the same position from which he oversaw the investigations into İmamoğlu and the CHP.

A Holiday Raid

The police operation was launched on the first day of Eid al-Adha, when many Turks are traveling and away from major cities.

Özel had been inside the headquarters since Thursday, vowing to defy what the CHP leadership has called a “judicial coup.” As police entered, he posted a video online. “We are under attack. Our crime? To make our party Turkey’s number one party after 47 years. Our crime? Defeating the Justice and Development Party.”

Emerging to cheers after the raid, Özel addressed supporters before leading a march toward parliament, more than five kilometers away. “We are leaving now only to reclaim it in a way no one will be able to interfere again,” he told journalists. “From now on, the Republican People’s Party is on the streets, in the squares, marching towards power.”

Kılıçdaroğlu’s first act as court-appointed leader was to fire the three CHP lawyers handling the party’s appeal to the Court of Cassation, replacing them with counsel who immediately moved to withdraw the appeal, according to HRW. State media reported that 13 people have been detained under the investigation into the 2023 congress, facing charges including violating the law on political parties, accepting bribes, and laundering assets.

The Stakes for 2028 — and Sooner

Erdoğan, 72, has ruled Turkey since 2003 — first as prime minister, then as president. Turkey’s next presidential election is scheduled for 2028, but Erdoğan faces a constitutional term limit. To run again, he would need to call an early election or change the constitution. Analysts say the campaign against the CHP raises the probability of a snap vote with the opposition in disarray.

CHP lawmakers elected Özel as leader of their parliamentary group on Saturday, and he has called for a new party congress as soon as possible. Whether that effort survives the legal obstacles now piling up is uncertain.

The Silence from Allied Capitals

Human Rights Watch described the government’s actions as “broader political efforts to sideline the main political opposition in ways that profoundly undermine civil and political rights and Türkiye’s democratic process.” Western governments have been markedly more restrained.

Turkey is a NATO member, a stalled EU accession candidate, and a critical partner in European migration management. The strategic relationship tempers reactions to democratic erosion; what statements do emerge carry the calibrated language of diplomatic caution.

Police storming the headquarters of a major opposition party in a country bordering the EU might, under other circumstances, command sustained attention. On Sunday, it competed with holiday weekend headlines.

Özel and his supporters are marching toward parliament. The courts, the police, and the calendar all work against them. Whether Turkey’s streets prove harder to control than its institutions is the question now facing both sides.

Sources