In the early morning of May 24, shocking images of Ankara were broadcast around the world. After a court ordered that Ozel be ousted as head of the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP), the country's largest opposition party, its headquarters in the Turkish capital were surrounded by special forces.
The party leader and his allies had barricaded the doors with tables and chairs, but hours later they stopped resisting. "We want to avoid an escalation and are leaving of our own free will," a visibly shaken Ozel said. "Our only crime is to have defeated the ruling party."
Indeed, under his leadership, the CHP had managed something it had not succeeded in doing in 22 years. It had defeated the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a nationwide election.
In the local elections of March 2024, the party emerged as the strongest and took over control of city councils in 14 major cities. That included Istanbul, whose mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, quickly became so popular that he established himself as a serious challenger to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the next presidential election, which is scheduled for 2028.The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu triggered protests across the city Image: Umit Bektas/REUTERS
