Riot police in Turkey used water cannon on Tuesday to disperse crowds attempting to hear a speech by Özgür Özel, the recently deposed leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The confrontation took place in Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city and a traditional CHP stronghold, as supporters tried to reach Cumhuriyet Square.
Özel and the CHP’s core leadership were removed from their posts by a court order on Thursday, a decision many critics consider politically motivated. The court overturned a 2023 party congress vote that had appointed Özel, reinstating his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV showed images of middle-aged protesters being soaked by water cannon, and local media reported the use of pepper spray.
A deepening political crisis
The crisis began when an appeals court in Ankara annulled the 2023 congress vote, citing irregularities. Özel, 51, had succeeded the 77-year-old Kılıçdaroğlu after 13 years of largely ineffective opposition to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. On Tuesday, Özel called on Kılıçdaroğlu to hold a new leadership vote. “Don’t divide the party, don’t stop our march to power,” he said. “Let’s ask the 2 million members (and) whoever they choose, let’s hold the congress immediately.”
The court case is seen by Erdoğan’s critics as the latest legal attack on the CHP, following waves of arrests of elected officials and party members. After the ruling, Özel and his supporters barricaded themselves inside CHP headquarters in Ankara. Police stormed the building on Sunday, firing plastic pellets and pepper spray in a violent end to the standoff, as previously reported.
Özel, who has vowed to take the struggle to the streets, said on arriving in Izmir that he would “go wherever the people are waiting.” He later walked from Cumhuriyet Square to another nearby square, where he delivered a speech to thousands of cheering supporters.
The confrontation came a day before the official Eid al-Adha holiday, though many had already taken Monday and Tuesday off. In a televised Eid message, Erdoğan expressed hope the vacation would be “an occasion for hearts to soften, for those who are estranged to reconcile, for grievances to be resolved.”
Electoral stakes and legal battles
The CHP is level with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in most recent opinion polls. Although the next election is not due until 2028, many expect Erdoğan to push for early elections. Özel delivered a serious blow to the AKP in the 2024 municipal elections, strengthening the opposition’s grip on key cities including Istanbul and Ankara.
The CHP mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has emerged as the likeliest challenger to Erdoğan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003. But İmamoğlu has been imprisoned since March last year, facing several criminal cases that could see him sentenced to decades behind bars. Many observers say the legal cases against the CHP, mostly centred on corruption allegations, are aimed at neutralising the party. The government insists that Turkey’s courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.
This political turmoil unfolds against a backdrop of shifting regional dynamics, including changing travel patterns in the Aegean as inflation affects Turkish tourism. The European Union, which has long expressed concerns about the rule of law in Turkey, is watching the situation closely.
