Government Accused of Undermining Democracy, Using Coercive Tactics to Silence Opposition

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has been accused of undermining Turkey’s democracy, with its regime using “coercive tactics” to silence the opposition.

This followed hundreds of police storming the headquarters of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Ankara on Sunday, using tear gas to force entry.

The incident occurred after a court ruling on Thursday ousted the CHP leadership, annulling Ozgur Ozel’s 2023 party election victory and appointing former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu—known for a string of electoral defeats—as interim chief.

Party members had previously blocked entrances to the building in defiance of the court order. Last year, Turkish authorities jailed Erdogan’s key political rival, Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is the CHP’s presidential candidate for the 2028 election.

“A Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is undermining democracy through ‘coercive tactics’ against the CHP,” said leading human rights organisation Human Rights Watch, quoted by AFP on Monday, 25 May 2026.

“This is another devastating blow to the rule of law, democracy, and human rights in Turkey,” it added.

Ozel shouted as he was forced out of the building, vowing to fight back.

“The Republican People’s Party will now take to the streets or squares,” he said in the same report.

“We will march towards the centre of power,” he insisted.

Supporters of Kilicdaroglu also attempted to force entry into the party building. Similar scenes occurred in Istanbul last year when a court appointed an administrator to take over the regional CHP office.

Meanwhile, the developments have spooked investors. Roger Mark, emerging markets analyst at Ninety One, said the main risk is locals and domestic investors rushing to sell lira for foreign currencies.

“The primary risk is domestic dollarisation,” Mark stated, referring to potential large-scale lira sell-offs.

However, he noted that this capital outflow is not as severe as last year due to more aggressive central bank intervention and lower foreign investor positions in Turkey’s market. Nevertheless, Erdogan’s government is increasingly seen as authoritarian.