Thousands of protesters gathered in Ankara and Istanbul on Friday night to demonstrate their opposition to a controversial court ruling against the leadership of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP.
An Ankara court on Thursday invalidated the party’s leadership elections, held in late 2023, citing irregularities. The ruling ousted current chairman Özgür Özel, and reinstated Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, the party’s former leader, who is now being labelled a “traitor” by some within the party and by demonstrators.
The CHP challenged the decision at Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council (YSK), but its appeal was rejected on Friday. Party officials are now calling for a new congress as soon as possible.
In response, thousands of protesters assembled outside the CHP headquarters in Ankara, chanting slogans like “They will leave, we will stay,” according to witnesses on the scene.
Addressing the crowd, Özel vowed resilience, urging supporters to “resist and rewrite history.”
“We will endure, we will fight, and we will hold firm," he proclaimed. "We will once again become the hope of this nation!”
Özel accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of orchestrating the crisis, claiming that it was an attack on Turkey’s democratic system.
“Erdogan knows he cannot win another election. He wants to leave people without a candidate, without a party, without leadership, and without hope,” Özel declared.
Meanwhile, hundreds of CHP supporters marched in Istanbul, gathering near the Dolmabahce Palace. Smaller protests also took place across at least five districts of the city.
