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Turkish riot police enter opposition headquarters to evict ousted leadership

By Reuters Reuters

ANKARA - Turkish riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into the main opposition party's headquarters to evict its ousted leadership on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, further inflaming a political crisis.

Clouds of tear gas billowed within the Republican People's Party (CHP) building while those inside shouted and threw objects at the entrance as police broke through a makeshift barricade.

A Turkish court had ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel on Thursday, annulling the results of the CHP congress where he was elected in 2023, citing irregularities. On Sunday, Ankara's governor ordered the eviction of those inside the headquarters.

The court reinstated in Ozel's place former CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in a national election that year.

The ousted CHP leadership under Ozel has condemned the court ruling as a "judicial coup" and Ozel promised to fight it through legal appeals and to remain "day and night" in the party's Ankara headquarters.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Daren ButlerEditing by David Goodman)

FILE PHOTO: Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), speaks during an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), speaks during an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo Murad Sezer Reuters
Supporters of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the former Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman reinstated by a court decision, scuffle with supporters of ousted party chairman Ozgur Ozel as they try to enter the party’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz
Supporters of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the former Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman reinstated by a court decision, scuffle with supporters of ousted party chairman Ozgur Ozel as they try to enter the party’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkey, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz Efekan Akyuz Reuters
Riot police stand guard outside the headquarters of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), after authorities ordered enforcement of a court ruling ousting the party's leadership from the building, in Ankara, Turkey, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz
Riot police stand guard outside the headquarters of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), after authorities ordered enforcement of a court ruling ousting the party's leadership from the building, in Ankara, Turkey, May 24, 2026. REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz Efekan Akyuz Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 7:06 AM.

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