CHP crisis deepens after headquarters standoff
Police entered the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) headquarters in Ankara after hours of tension over the enforcement of a court ruling that annulled the party’s 2023 congress and reinstated former chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
The standoff began after lawyers representing Kılıçdaroğlu and a group of CHP lawmakers supporting him came to the party headquarters and sought to meet the Özgür Özel administration. The building’s outer gate was locked, while riot police were deployed outside.
The Ankara Governor’s Office later instructed police to implement the evacuation of the headquarters following an application by Kılıçdaroğlu’s side.
Police entered the compound later in the day after breaking the chains at the garden gate and parking entrance. Tear gas was used inside the building, according to reports and the raw account, as officers moved toward the 12th floor, where Özel was present with several lawmakers and Istanbul provincial chair Özgür Çelik.
