ISTANBUL: Police used pepper spray inside the Istanbul headquarters of Turkiye’s main opposition party to disperse dozens of party officials Monday, clearing the way for a court-appointed interim chairman to enter the building amid fierce protests over his appointment, party officials said.
Riot police also scuffled with supporters of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, who had assembled at locations close to the offies in defiance of a temporary ban on public gatherings and a police blockade of its local branch.
The police raid came amid an intensifying crackdown on the CHP, including municipalities run by the party, over alleged corruption, which has led to several arrests, including that of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. The deposed mayor is widely regarded as the leading challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade rule, and his arrest in March sparked the largest protests Turkiye has seen in over a decade.
Last week, an Istanbul court suspended the CHP’s provincial leadership, citing alleged irregularities in the party’s 2023 congress. The court also appointed Gursel Tekin, a former CHP lawmaker aligned with the party’s old guard, as interim chair. Critics have condemned the move as being politically motivated and aimed at weakening the party.
