Tens of Thousands in Turkey Demonstrate in Support of the Opposition
At least 50,000 people took part today in demonstrations organized by Turkey's main opposition party CHP in Ankara, ahead of a possible court-ordered removal of the party’s leadership, organizers reported.
Wearing T-shirts with the image of the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, they waved Turkish flags.
The vice president of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Murat Bakan, said that there were 50,000 participants in the demonstrations.
The party leader Özgür Özel stated that this was a rally against a “coup” being prepared against CHP.
“This government does not want democracy. It knows it cannot win elections if democracy exists. It does not want justice because it knows that if justice is served, it will not be able to cover up its crimes,” Özel said.
A court hearing tomorrow in Ankara aims to annul the results of the CHP congress from November 2023 due to alleged electoral fraud.
Özel was elected as party leader at that congress.
Critics argue that the court case is designed to weaken CHP, the oldest political party in Turkey, which convincingly defeated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party in the 2024 local elections and has been leading in opinion polls.
