Chaos in Turkey: Opposition Clashes as Erdogan Government Accused of Authoritarianism

Chaos erupted in Turkey as opposition factions clashed over leadership disputes within the main opposition party. Turkish riot police fired tear gas and breached barricades to enter the headquarters of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Sunday, with tear gas filling the building as crowds formed defensive barriers, shouting and throwing objects at officers. The incident followed a Turkish court ruling on 21 May overturning Ozgur Ozel’s election as CHP leader at the party’s 2023 congress, citing ‘irregularities’, and reinstating former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the same year’s presidential election. Supporters of Kilicdaroglu and Ozel then clashed outside the CHP headquarters, with Kilicdaroglu’s lawyers requesting police assistance for the handover process after the crowd dispersed. Ankara’s governor’s office ordered police to forcibly disperse the gathering at the CHP headquarters, leading to further confrontations. Human Rights Watch accused Erdogan’s government of undermining Turkish democracy through ‘brutal tactics’ against the CHP, calling it a ‘severe blow’ to the rule of law, democracy, and human rights. Meanwhile, investors are growing anxious, with Ninety One emerging markets analyst Roger Mark warning of potential domestic dollarisation as locals and investors rush to abandon the lira for foreign currencies.