Turkey lurches into political crisis with crackdown on opposition

Peloni:  As if trying to demonstrate that Turkey can be just as authoritative in its refusal to tolerate popular opponents as has been seen in Europe, Erdogan acts with impunity in isolating and disqualifying his political rival.

Clashes erupted at CHP headquarters in Ankara after a court removed opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, raising fears of a deeper political crisis as Erdogan tightens his grip.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN | 

Turkish Opposition Party Ozgur Ozel reacts with defiance in the face of the court ruling. Screengrab via YoutubeTurkish Opposition Party Ozgur Ozel reacts with defiance in the face of the court ruling. Screengrab via Youtube

Turkey is facing a potential political crisis as the leading opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been thrown into turmoil.

Video from Ankara on Sunday showed clashes at the party’s headquarters. Commentators speculated that some young men had been hired to create a provocation at the site. The overall context is that a Turkish court had removed the CHP’s leader, Özgür Özel, last week.
The removal of Özel follows years in which Turkey’s ruling AKP has appeared to use the judicial system to target the opposition. For instance, Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of the HDP party, was jailed in 2016. Demirtas, who is Kurdish, led the left-leaning HDP, which had received a large number of Kurdish votes in 2015. This appeared to anger the ruling party, and he was brought up on various charges.

In addition, Ekrem Imamoglu, a Turkish politician who has served as the 32nd mayor of Istanbul since 2019, was also imprisoned in 2025, when it appeared he had widespread popularity in the country. He is a member of the opposition CHP. Now the CHP’s Özel has also been removed. This would appear to pave the way for Kemal Kilicdaroglu to return to run the CHP. Kilicdaroglu was born in 1948 and is seen as a compliant politician who has often lost to the AKP. As such, he would be seen by the AKP as an acceptable opposition leader because he won’t win.

The opposition in Turkey has not been able to unseat the AKP in 20 years. This is largely because they have been divided in some years, and even when they tried to unite, they didn’t quite get enough votes. Nevertheless, they have often swept many municipal and local elections. In many cases, the government has then moved to imprison and remove opposition mayors.

On Sunday, an X/Twitter account of the CHP wrote, “As of this moment, the General Center of the Republican People’s Party has been unlawfully placed under blockade. Defending our democracy, our will, and our party is a historic responsibility for all of us. We urgently call upon our entire organization to gather at the point specified below to stand against this lawlessness and protect our home.”

They called for people to gather at the location to defend the party. “Today is the day to lend a shoulder to our democracy and our party. We will not take even a single step back from our just struggle!”

Ozel vows to fight court ruling against CHP
BBC noted last week that “Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel has vowed to fight a court ruling removing him and fellow party leaders, in the latest legal move that helps cement President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s grip on power.” The BBC added that “the appeal court declared the 2023 leadership election in Özel’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) null and void, prompting thousands of demonstrators to gather outside party headquarters in Ankara.”
Turkey is now at another crossroads. Economically, the country is also on shaky ground. The country has been selling US Treasury notes to defend the Turkish lira. This follows a similar decision in China that was made for different reasons. It is unclear if Ankara will be able to keep its currency trading at the rate it wants. The political turmoil in Ankara may shake some investor confidence.

Meanwhile, in Ankara, Justice Minister Akin Gürlek has justified the move against Özel, claiming it reinforces democracy. “Until Gürlek was appointed justice minister by President Erdogan earlier this year, he was the chief prosecutor in Istanbul who spearheaded investigations targeting the opposition, and the city’s highly popular mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in particular,” BBC noted.

Kilicdaroglu is seen as trying to forcibly take control of the CHP and its headquarters. It appears he has backing from state authorities. How this plays out could change the face of the Turkish opposition over the next year.

Turkey is one of the countries that has had the same leader for decades. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán was recently unseated in an election. This has led some to believe the era of increasing authoritarian politics might be reversed in Turkey and other states that have had the same leader for a long time.

May 24, 2026 | Comments »

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