Turkey orders police to evict ousted opposition leadership from\nheadquarters<\/p>\n
ANKARA: Turkish riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into\nthe main opposition party\u2019s headquarters to evict its ousted leadership\non Sunday (May 24), fuelling a crisis at the heart of Turkey\u2019s\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
Clouds of tear gas billowed within the Republican People\u2019s Party\n(CHP) building while those inside shouted and threw objects at the\nentrance as police broke through a makeshift barricade. There were no\nreports of injuries during the intervention.<\/p>\n
A Turkish court ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel on Thursday, annulling\nthe results of the CHP congress where he was elected in 2023, citing\nirregularities. On Sunday, Ankara\u2019s governor ordered the eviction of\nthose inside the headquarters.<\/p>\n
TEST OF TURKISH DEMOCRACY<\/p>\n
The court reinstated in Ozel\u2019s place former CHP chair Kemal\nKilicdaroglu, who lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in a national\nelection that year.<\/p>\n
Analysts have said they view the court ruling as a test of the\nbalance between democracy and autocracy for NATO member Turkey and that\nit could prolong Erdogan\u2019s 23-year rule. Financial markets tumbled on\nThursday as investors fretted about democratic backsliding, before\nrebounding on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are under attack,\u201d Ozel said in a video message shared on X as\nthe security forces entered, before emerging from the building after the\npolice intervention, vowing that the CHP would from now on be \u201con the\nstreets, in the squares, marching towards power.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then led supporters on a march to the Turkish parliament 6 km (4\nmiles) away, where he made a speech to thousands, who chanted \u201cTraitor\nKemal,\u201d \u201cSon of the palace, Kilicdaroglu,\u201d and \u201cShoulder-to-shoulder\nagainst fascists.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil this struggle frees the party from occupation, our\nheadquarters is here,\u201d Ozel told the crowd before entering the assembly.\nCHP lawmakers on Saturday elected him as leader of the party\u2019s\nparliamentary group.<\/p>\n
As he spoke, one TV channel showed members of Kilicdaroglu\u2019s team\nsitting in an office in CHP headquarters, but the reinstated leader was\nreported to be at home and was yet to make a statement on the\nsituation.<\/p>\n
The CHP\u2019s ousted leadership called on its supporters to protest in\nthree locations in Turkey\u2019s largest city of Istanbul on Sunday\nevening.<\/p>\n
OUSTED LEADERS DECRY \u2018JUDICIAL COUP\u2019<\/p>\n
The ousted CHP leadership under Ozel has condemned the court ruling\nas a \u201cjudicial coup\u201d and Ozel had promised to fight it through legal\nappeals and to remain \u201cday and night\u201d at the Ankara headquarters.<\/p>\n
Ozel called on Saturday for a new party congress to be held as soon\nas possible, while Kilicdaroglu has said a congress would be held at an\n\u201cappropriate\u201d time.<\/p>\n
Turkey\u2019s next national election is set for 2028, but would need to be\nbrought forward if Erdogan, at age 72 and facing a term limit, wants to\nrun again. The court ruling raises the chances of an early vote,\nanalysts said.<\/p>\n
The government, meanwhile, denies criticism that it uses courts to\ntarget political rivals, saying the judiciary is independent.<\/p>\n
State media said on Saturday that Turkish police had detained 13\npeople under an investigation into the 2023 congress. They face charges\nof violating the law on political parties, accepting bribes and\nlaundering assets derived from crime.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/turkey-orders-police-to-evict-ousted-opposition-leadership-from-headquarters-1780335838", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }