Turkish riot police enter opposition headquarters to evict ousted leadership

Turkish riot police enter opposition headquarters to evict ousted leadership
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Summary A Turkish court had ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel, annulling the results of the CHP congress where he was elected in 2023, citing ⁠irregularities

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish riot police fired tear gas and forced their way into the main opposition party's headquarters to evict its ousted leadership on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, further inflaming a political crisis.

Clouds of tear gas billowed within the ⁠Republican People's Party (CHP) building while those inside shouted and threw objects at the entrance as police broke through a makeshift barricade.

A Turkish court had ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel on Thursday, annulling the results of the CHP congress where he was elected in 2023, citing ⁠irregularities.

On Sunday, Ankara's governor ordered the eviction of those inside the headquarters.

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The court reinstated in Ozel's place former CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who ⁠lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in a national election that year.

The ousted CHP leadership under Ozel ⁠has condemned the court ruling as a "judicial coup" and Ozel promised to fight it through ⁠legal appeals and to remain "day and night" in the party's Ankara headquarters.

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