Thousands of supporters of Özgür Özel gathered in Ankara on Saturday after a court ruling removed him from the leadership of Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Özel, who was deposed by a judicial decision last week, addressed the crowd before leading a protest march through the Turkish capital. According to the private Anka news agency and opposition‑leaning media outlets, the demonstrators numbered in the tens of thousands.
The mobilisation came in response to a court decision that annulled the CHP’s 2023 party congress and effectively reinstated former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at the helm of the party.
Kılıçdaroğlu, a divisive figure within the CHP, had lost to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in national elections earlier that year. The ruling is widely seen as strengthening Erdoğan’s prospects of remaining in power.
On Friday, Kılıçdaroğlu visited CHP headquarters for the first time since the 21 May decision and pledged to purge the party of corruption, referring to cases involving municipalities run by the CHP.
The ousted party leadership rejects the allegations, describing them as politically motivated. The government denies that the judicial process is politically driven.
While Kılıçdaroğlu was speaking inside party headquarters, Özel was addressing a larger crowd gathered outside CHP offices in Ankara.
“This is not an internal CHP matter,” Özel told supporters. “This is an issue between Erdoğan and the nation,” he said, arguing that the court ruling does not legitimise Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership.
Özel also called for the immediate convening of a party congress, as demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Leader Özgür!” and “Traitor Kemal!”
The protest then proceeded peacefully towards the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey and of the CHP.
Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş also took part in the demonstration. Yavaş is widely regarded as a potential alternative CHP presidential candidate, amid the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who remains Erdoğan’s strongest political rival.
Yavaş likewise called for a party congress.
Kılıçdaroğlu said a congress would be held “as soon as possible”, without providing a specific timetable.
Source: CNA
